This will be Spain’s fourth presidency of the European Union, and the first-ever presidency of any Member State under the Lisbon Treaty, which means that the Spanish Presidency will deliver its programme working alongside European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Baroness Catherine Ashton. Clearly the new EU leadership introduced by Lisbon will require some time to settle into the new roles created to work with one another. Europe needs strong leadership now more than ever, which we should expect Spain to provide during the first half of the year.

In 2000 the Lisbon Strategy called for Europe to be the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world and to achieve full employment by 2010. Ten years on, Europe’s achievements have been put to the test by the global economic crisis. Spain, as the Member State kicking-off the Trio Presidency (Spain-Belgium-Hungary), is set to lead the EU’s future strategic objectives and to define its vision for 2020 and beyond. While jobs and growth will remain high on the agenda, reviewing the Lisbon Strategy in line with making the low-carbon economy a reality will be a key Spanish priority. Spain will address important issues such as global climate change, a common energy policy, the European Social Agenda and the reinforcement of financial supervision, to name but a few. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty should allow the Presidency, and the EU as a whole, to act and respond more swiftly to the challenges and opportunities of our times.

Weber Shandwick Brussels, in partnership with our colleagues in Madrid and Barcelona, is proud to present Inside the Spanish Presidency. It is the 18th in our series of guides on EU presidencies, designed to foster dialogue and consultation between business and decision-makers on political priorities and business imperatives.

Our dedicated policy chapters will provide readers with an overview of Spain’s political intentions at the helm of the EU. Each chapter is further enriched by insights and perspectives from businesses, NGOs, politicians, trade and international organisations. This edition of our Presidency Guide brings an innovation: to increase the variety of perspectives we have invited a wider range of EU influencers to voice their views and priorities for the presidency in the form of podcast interviews. The podcasts, as is the rest of the guide, are readily accessible on our dedicated website . We hope you will find our guide a useful and practical resource.

We look ahead to the next six months with optimism and wish to extend our active support to the Spanish government as it takes leadership of the European Union in these challenging times.