Spanish Presidency Research Articles

Promoting Equitable and Affordable Patient Access to Safe and Effective Innovations in Donation and Transplantation of Substances of Human Origin and Derived Therapies.

Innovation is a hallmark of organ, tissue, and cell transplantation. The development of new treatments derived from these substances of human origin (SoHO) has rapidly evolved in recent years. Despite the great benefits that these innovative therapies could bring to patients, significant difficulties have arisen in making them equitably and widely accessible. Herein, we identify and address 4 challenges to promote innovation in this field in a collaborative, sustainable, and transparent manner and propose some concrete solutions applicable to SoHO-derived treatments, ranging from cell therapies to solid organ transplantation. Regulators, health policymakers, and government officials are recommended to incorporate specific elements into the regulatory frameworks of their respective jurisdictions, although regulatory convergence and equivalent quality and safety standards applicable to SoHO at a global level would be needed. An innovation-driven regulatory environment, respectful with the human origin and in accordance with the altruistic donation of SoHO, should be encouraged to improve the safety, effectiveness, accessibility, and affordability of SoHO and to promote collaboration between countries and between public and private sectors. This overview is the outcome of a working group focused on "Innovation in the donation and clinical application of SoHO" as part of the international Summit "Towards Global Convergence in Transplantation: Sufficiency, Transparency and Oversight" convened by the Organización Nacional de Trasplantes under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in November 2023 and cosponsored by the Council of Europe, the World Health Organization, the Transplantation Society, and the European Society for Organ Transplantation.

Developing and Expanding Deceased Organ Donation to its Maximum Therapeutic Potential: An Actionable Global Challenge From the 2023 Santander Summit.

On November 9 and 10, 2023, the Organización Nacional de Trasplantes (ONT), under the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, convened in Santander a Global Summit entitled "Towards Global Convergence in Transplantation: Sufficiency, Transparency and Oversight." This article summarizes two distinct but related challenges elaborated at the Santander Summit by Working Group 2 that must be overcome if we are to develop and expand deceased donation worldwide and achieve the goal of self-sufficiency in organ donation and transplantation. Challenge 1: the need for a unified concept of death based on the permanent cessation of brain function. Working group 2 proposed that challenge 1 requires the global community to work toward a uniform, worldwide definition of human death, conceptually unifying circulatory and neurological criteria of death around the cessation of brain function and accepting that permanent cessation of brain function is a valid criterion to determine death. Challenge 2: reducing disparities in deceased donation and increasing organ utilization through donation after the circulatory determination of death (DCDD). Working group 2 proposed that challenge 2 requires the global community to work toward increasing organ utilization through DCDD, expanding DCDD through in situ normothermic regional perfusion, and expanding DCDD through ex situ machine organ perfusion technology. Recommendations for implementation are described.

Transplantation: A Priority in the Healthcare Agenda.

In November 2023, in the context of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Organization National de Transplante organized a global summit discussing global action in transplantation for the next decade. This article reports the recommendations supporting the need to prioritize transplantation in healthcare systems. The working group investigated how transplantation addresses noncommunicable disease mortality, particularly related to kidney and liver disease. They also investigated how transplantation can contribute to the achievement of several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 3 (good health and well-being), Goal 8 (sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and employment for all), and Goal 13 (combat climate change and its impact). By prioritizing transplantation, the increased availability and accessibility of life-saving organs and tissues to the public will not only lead to saving more lives and improving health outcomes for individual patients but also contribute to the development of a resilient health system in general in that country as a consequence of developing the infrastructure required for transplantation. The ethical principles associated with transplantation promote the principles of solidarity in society by fostering the donation process and equity in access to therapy. This article aims to advocate for the widespread availability of solid organ, tissue, and cell transplantation for all patients.

The HepHIV 2023 Madrid conference: A call to action for political leadership in reaching the sustainable development goals on earlier testing and linkage to care for HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections.

The HepHIV 2023 Conference, held in Madrid in November 2023, highlighted how Europe is not on track to meet the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals and Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) targets. This article presents the outcomes of the conference, which focus on ways to improve testing and linkage to care for HIV, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections. HIV-related stigma and discrimination, a major barrier to progress, was a key concept of the conference and on the agenda of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union. The HepHIV 2023 organizing committee, alongside the Spanish Ministry of Health, oversaw the conference organization and prepared the scientific programme based on abstract rankings. Key outcomes are derived from conference presentations and discussions. Conference presentations covered the obstacles that HIV-related stigma and discrimination continue to pose to access to services, models for data collection to better monitor progress in the future, and examples of legislative action that can be taken at national levels. Diversification of testing approaches was also highlighted, to reach key populations, (e.g. migrant populations), to increase testing offered in healthcare settings (e.g. emergency departments), and to account for different stages of epidemics across the region. With a strong call for intensified action to address the impact of HIV-related stigma and discrimination on testing uptake, the conference concluded that strengthened collaboration is required between governments and implementers around testing and linkage to care. There is also an ongoing need to ensure sustainable political commitment and appropriate resource allocation to address gaps and inequalities in access for key populations and to focus on the implementation of integrated responses to HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections.

Council

This overview highlights the Council’s (i) approval of the report on tax issues and conclusions on progress by the Code of Conduct Group during the Spanish Presidency; and (ii) identification of direct tax priorities under the Belgian presidency of the Council for the first semester of 2024.

Spanish Presidency of the EU High Risk Security Network held by the Guardia Civil through the Grupo de Acción Rápida

Spanish Presidency of the EU High Risk Security Network held by the Guardia Civil through the Grupo de Acción Rápida

Council

This overview highlights the Council’s (i) Code of Conduct Group agreement on a work programme under the Spanish Presidency, (ii) identification of the tax priorities for the second semester of 2023 and (iii) discussions regarding updates on Pillar One, as well as the approved conclusions on the European Semester.

Towards the European harmonisation of a Soil Cadastre inventory as a tool for environmental, social, economic, legal and taxation purposes

The cadastral systems existing in EU Member States satisfy private and public needs but there is no common regulation describing the purposes, minimum requirements and functions of the Cadastre in each State. In order to satisfy the need for harmonisation of Cadastres at the EU level, the Spanish Government's Official Performance Programme of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council supported, in the first semester of 2002, the initiative proposed by the Spanish General Directorate for the Cadastre to hold the "First Congress on Cadastre in the European Union" (15-17 May 2002). The main objective of this conference was to study the role of the Cadastre at EU level and the methods for the integration of national models. For this purpose the Spanish General Directorate also presented two specific initiatives : 1) the project for a "Declaration on Cadastre in the European Union"; 2) the formation of a Cadastre Permanent Committee. A unique Cadastre at EU level would allow that the CAP (Community Agricultural Policy) is implemented by considering the best practices of the land owners. Moreover, the basic taxation principles and coordination of property taxation are shown in this paper. In the long term, the free movement of people, goods and capital will induce that the EU harmonises or at least coordinates property regimes, Land Registry and Cadastre in the Member States. Cadastres enable to change the land from an object of utilisation into capital and thus economic growth (that is a prerequisite for investments in estate enhancement and/or environmental protection). This is an essential part of LIS (Land Information System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) systems, that provide information crucial to decision making. The new soil cadastral certificate, besides land use and capability, should also take into account the sustainability. The Ground Cadastre should be developed into a multipurpose Soil Cadastre, i.e. an inventory for environmental, social, economic, legal and taxation purposes.

La construcción de la identidad pública del movimiento antiglobalización en España

Desde Seattle, la atención prestada por los medios de comunicación al movimiento antiglobalización ha estado vinculada a la cuestión de la violencia. Su mayor presencia mediática ha impulsado su consolidación como movimiento global. También ha elevado el coste político de la represión física de las acciones no-violentas y ha fomentado un cambio gradual en la respuesta de las autoridades. En este sentido, el espacio central de confrontación parece haberse desplazado (o extendido) desde las calles al terreno de lo simbólico, para localizarse en el proceso de configuración de la imagen (o identidad) pública del movimiento a través del discurso en los medios. Este trabajo indaga en la naturaleza de este proceso mediante el análisis de los discursos recogidos en las noticias publicadas en El País durante la presidencia española de la UE en el año 2002.

The changing role of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union: Setting the context for the study of the Iberian cases

Abstract This introductory article sets out the European Union context of the special issue. Its main purpose is to present an overview of the changing role of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. After a brief introduction, the first section discusses the theoretical approach applied in the study of rotating EU Council Presidencies – primarily, historical, rational and sociological institutionalism. All these aspects are inherent in the relatively informal structure within the Council of Ministers. Subsequently, an abbreviated account of the evolution of the rotating presidency is provided. This is followed by a section analysing the main functions of the presidency and how the Iberian presidencies have used these functions. The template employed is relatively simple; later articles in the special issue may use it to the degree it is relevant to their focus. It has been argued that until the Lisbon Treaty came into force in 2009, the rotating presidency could be used to enhance a country’s global image, mainly through the external representation role assigned to the institution. The Portuguese presidency of 2007 was probably the last such presidency. As a consequence of the reforms undertaken throughout the new millennium intended to help the EU adjust to enlargement, the presidency has lost visibility. The Spanish presidency of 2010 can been identified as the first in which perceptions of the old and new rotating presidency roles conflicted with each other, leading to failure in many areas. The article finishes by describing the principal aims of the special issue and summarizing the individual contributions.

Los alcances de un nuevo proyecto socialdemócrata La primera legislatura de José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's arrival at the Spanish presidency took place amidst great expectations, charged with the apparent obligation of fulfilling campaign commitments that implied a relevant shift in politics. The mark imprinted on his first Legislature produced deep changes since some topics which had not been previously discussed in depth, due to their confiictive nature, opened up for debate. One such case was the ravages brought about by the civil war. This article reviews contemporary Spanish history with the aim of providing context for the scope and limits of the reforms promoted by this president. At the same time, it contributes to the debate on democracy in Spain based on a retrospective account of the model which refers to historical memory to explain the president's attempt to settle the score with the past and set forth, under the concept of civic socialism, a new governmental route based on the expansion of rights and the strengthening of the welfare State.

The European Union and the Central American Common Market Signs an Association Agreement: Pragmatism versus Values?

This article discusses the association agreement between the European Union and Central America signed in 2010.The importance of this agreement is crucial in international relations since it is the first successful association agreement between two regional groups that include trade, political dialogue and development aid. The central argument of this article sustains that the agreement was possible thanks to the efforts of the Spanish diplomatic team. However, this was not sufficient and the efforts of Central American countries were absolutely essential. The main events that influenced the agreement are analysed in order to find the reasons behind the agreement: the Spanish presidency; the bananas conflict between the EU, the US and Central American countries; and the political conflict in Honduras.

An Improbable Partnership: Spanish and Kazakh Efforts to Bring Central Asia to the Fore of European Politics

The paper addresses the potential for the current Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Kazakh Chairmanship of the OSCE to coordinate efforts in turning Central Asia into a more prominent area of interest in European politics. It provides an analysis of the interests and major areas of interaction of the two organisations in Central Asia and puts forward a reflection on the impact that such an improbable partnership can have in shifting mutual perspectives and in developing a long-term outlook for the EU and the OSCE in Central Asia.

Social determinants of infectious diseases: a public health priority

Reducing health inequalities and monitoring social determinants of health in the European Union: a priority of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union 2010 5 by Technical Committee for the priority of the Spanish Presidency on “Monitoring Social Determinants of Health and the Reduction of Health Inequalities”. General Directorate for Public Health and International Health. Ministry of Health and Social Policy, Madrid, Spain

Reducing health inequalities and monitoring social determinants of health in the European Union: a priority of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union 2010

Reducing health inequalities and monitoring social determinants of health in the European Union: a priority of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union 2010

Tax Priorities of the Spanish Presidency

Tax Priorities of the Spanish Presidency

The Mediterranean in the EU's Spanish Presidency: A Priority in Turbulent Times

The Mediterranean will be one of the top priorities of the Spanish EU Presidency during the first half of 2010. After France's controversial leadership on this issue in 2008, there are great expect...

Innovando en salud pública: monitorización de los determinantes sociales de la salud y reducción de las desigualdades en salud: una prioridad para la presidencia española de la Unión Europea en 2010

Tackling health inequalities to achieve health equity is currently one of the main challenges for developed and developing countries. Aware of this reality, and knowing how relevant for economic and social growth the inequalities in health are, the Spanish Ministry of Health and Social Policy has established "Innovation in Public Health: monitoring social determinants of health and reduction of health inequalities" as one of the priorities for the Spanish presidency of the European Union in the first semester of 2010. Furthermore, a national strategy to tackle health inequalities is being developed in the current political term. By choosing this priority, the Spanish Ministry of Health an Social Policy aims to contribute to move forward a coherent and effective agenda at both European and national level, in a new world stage more aware of the social and economic expenditure of inequity in health and its repercussions on countries welfare and development.

National prosecution authorities and European criminal justice system: the challenges ahead

The author gives an overview from his standpoint as General Prosecutor of Spain of the various instruments used by the national Public Prosecution services within the European Union to exchange information and coordinate their activities. He stresses the need to go even further by creating new tools to coordinate the activities of prosecuting authorities, not merely through the strengthening of Eurojust, but also by bringing together the heads of Public Ministries and Directors of Public Action so that their experience can be taken into account by the European Union institutions in charge of defining political priorities in the field of criminal justice. He also elaborates on the prospects of establishing a European Public Prosecutor’s Office, an idea that has been included among the priorities of the upcoming Spanish Presidency and which is firmly supported by the author.

The Significance of the Euro in the International Monetary System

It is a great pleasure for me to be here and I thank you, Robert Isaak, for that wonderful introduction; it was very interesting. I am of course going to talk about the euro, but by way of preface, I will tell you about some of my recent journeys. Two weeks ago I was in Spain at the Euro Forum Conference in the El Escorial Palace outside Madrid, the splendid mausoleum/palace/monastery built by Philip II of Spain to celebrate the occasion of his victory in the Battle of San Quentin on St. Laurence's Day in 1557. This was a conference dedicated to the occasion of the Spanish presidency of the European Union, a report of progress on past commitments and on the challenges ahead. The Lis bon Summit Conference in March 2000, spearhead ed by Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK and President Jose Aznar of Spain, set the goals of improving the employment performance of the EU and making it the most competitive area in the world by the year 2010. After that conference, I came west to Havana, the home of cigars and Fidel Castro, to present a paper at the third of Castro's Conferences on Glob alization and Development Problems that he had initiated in the year 2000. Beside myself there was my colleague from Columbia University and the Nobel Laureate in Economics for 2001, Joe Stiglitz. We spent altogether about fifteen hours with Castro over three days, talking and listening over meals and presentations. Stiglitz and I each had a two hour slot at the beginning of the conference. Stiglitz focused on the problems of globalization and the errant policies of the international institutions. I focused on international monetary arrangements, currency areas, power centers and the need for a global currency. Fidel then spoke for an hour and a half, after which we had dinner with him and there followed another two hours of discussion. At about 9:30 p.m., he excused himself to see Senator Bar bara Boxer and the California delegation, which, he said, were interested in helping to get the embargo on Cuba lifted. After Cuba, I went back to Europe, to London, to inaugurate a new exhibit at the British Museum. The exhibit, called Brief Lives, did not seem to be my cup of tea, but the Chairman of the Museum, Graham C. Greene (nephew of the great novelist), explained that the sub-title was Currencies and Nationalism in Modern Europe. The currencies of twelve of the fifteen members of the European Union were going to self-destruct within a couple of months and the staff had prepared an exhibit to celebrate their passing into history. Were the lives of European currencies so brief? There is a widespread belief that they had long lives. The reason I think is that the names for cur rencies are distinct from the actual pieces of paper or coins. Some of the names have existed in the lan guage for thousands of years and have become part of the national consciousness. The Greek obol for instance means digit, and drachma means handful. So the drachma was a handful of six obols. You could repeat such stories for all the currencies. Our word is derived from the surname of Juno Moneta, or Juno the Warner, a consort of Jupiter, whose duty it was to warn the Romans that if they fought only just wars, they would never lack for money to finance them. The name and symbol of the pound goes back to Roman times. But the pound as a medium of exchange (as opposed to a unit of account) is not nearly so old. The pound coin goes back only to the reign of King Henry VII, the first Tudor king, who succeeded Richard III, the hunchback. The first pound coin was a big, but very thin coin, first cre ated at the end of the 15th century. Its successor, the pound or the sovereign in the 19th century was much smaller but thicker. How did the pound originate? We have to start with the Roman Empire. The Romans had two words for pound: pondos, which comes from the