José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero will meet Tony Blair in London next week to discuss the future of the European Union (EU) and ways in which they can improve the bi-lateral relationship between London and Madrid.
Tony Blair outlined an ambitious agenda for the current British presidency of the EU that will re-open debates about the economy, social protection and how the Union can respond better to the needs of its people. Blair has already been praised in some quarters for providing a wide-ranging set of proposals but he lacks a sufficient number of firm allies amongst other member states. Some are suspicious of the Prime Minister and Britain’s historical role within the EU whilst others are too weakened by domestic problems to offer any real support.
The Spanish Prime Minister, on the other hand, has already demonstrated a commitment to the European ideal since taking office just over a year ago. Like Blair, he is a young social democrat with a firm electoral base and is implementing domestic policies that in many ways resemble those of New Labour in Britain. Zapatero and Blair can play complementary roles in the current European debate and a firm alliance between them could have benefits for both leaders and the EU. But this will only be possible if they can agree to put past differences behind them
