British News Agency

European Council President Antonio Costa said after meeting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Madrid that Europe needs strong economies like Spain to strengthen its strategic autonomy.

Costa said in a social media post that he met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid as part of his tour of European capitals.

Stating that Europe needs strong economies like Spain in order to strengthen its strategic autonomy, Costa said the next European Union budget should boost competitiveness.

Costa said the budget should also reflect a firm commitment to defense and security, adding that agricultural and cohesion policies should not be neglected.

Emphasizing that an agreement must be reached by the end of the year, Costa said: “Time is running out. We must reach an agreement by the end of the year.”

Costa said that during the meeting he reiterated the EU’s full solidarity with Spain, and especially with the people of Ceuta, due to the extraordinary crisis it is facing, adding that the developments once again showed that the security of Europe’s borders is linked to the security of all borders.

Costa also expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Madrid.