Two former top Brussels hands have joined cabinet
ADVERTISEMENTThe new Spanish government's pro-EU credentials are clear to see.
A former head of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, seen here in 2005 campaigning for the EU constitution, is in charge of foreign policy.
And Nadia Calviño, director-general for budgets at the European Commission, is the economy minister.
Comments by Guntram B. Wolff from the Brussels-based Bruegel think-tank:
"Nadia Calvino is of course an insider in Brussels, she has been in a number of senior, key positions here in Brussels, and knows how the machinery works. She knows the EU budget well. She's drafted the draft budget of the Commission so that's clearly an advantage to the new government, that they have someone who actually knows how Brussels works and can help Spain to benefit from it. So I think overall it's a strong signal to Europe about the pro-Europeaness of the government but it's also good for the new government to have this inside knowledge of Brussels."
With both Spain and Italy swearing in new governments within days of one another, one pro-EU the other eurosceptic, European power dynamics are shifting.
Guntram B. Wolff: "Italy used to be richer, used to be more prosperous, used to be more pro-European and has basically deteriorated in terms of rankings in prosperity, in growth and so on...I do think we see a bifocation here between Spain and Italy where Spain is starting to take a more significant lead and of course also thanks to its very pro-European policies, its success on the growth policies front, that Italy was missing."
Following in the footsteps of Macron? Time will tell if the new Spanish government can deliver on the integrationist European dream.
Nadia Colvino, who only just said her fond farewells to Brussels colleagues, will be back in business at the meeting of finance ministers in Luxembourg in two weeks time (21 June).