The question about Sanchez’s future that has Spain on edge has caught the attention of European institutions, as well as garnered a wave of solidarity for the personal circumstances of the President of the Government, not only from socialist ranks, but even from high-level EU officials, such as the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The sudden decision by Sanchez to consider resigning due to the judicial investigation of his wife has surprised the European Union. At the moment, the EU is on the brink of a new distribution of top positions that could be affected by any movement in the capitals, sparking speculation about a possible new European phase for the Spanish Prime Minister.
For European socialists, whose party and parliamentary group have come out in support of Sanchez, losing another socialist seat on the European Council after the departure of Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa due to a corruption case that was later dismissed would be a hard blow. Officially, the EU institutions do not comment on national issues. However, behind closed doors, surprise, uncertainty, and even expectations are multiplying. Many high-ranking officials refuse to comment on the case, as for those unfamiliar with the Spanish reality, what comes across – as seen in international headlines – is that Sanchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, is accused in a case of alleged influence peddling, and not the legal maneuvers by the far-right to destabilize or even bring down the government, as claimed by the Spanish Executive.
Some leaders, like the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, have communicated with Sanchez via text message, who has kept them informed of the situation. The Belgian, who decided not to run in his party’s European elections and announced his decision to withdraw from that career due to personal attacks, understands Sanchez, according to sources close to the President of the Council. European politicians are particularly sensitive to personal attacks. The Dutch Finance Minister, Sigrid Kaag, who was in a strong position, left politics last summer due to threats to her family.
Publicly, European leaders have refrained from commenting on what happened with Sanchez, except for Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who expressed his support for the Spanish president in a lengthy message on social media. European social democrats have not hesitated to rally around the Spanish socialist. The President of the Party of European Socialists (PSE), Stefan Löfven, former Swedish Prime Minister, described as “alarming” the use of judicial procedures as a “weapon by the far right to attack the integrity of politicians and tear apart democracy.”
Other left-wing figures have also expressed support for Sanchez, such as the new leader of the Portuguese Socialist Party, Pedro Nuno Santos. The corridors of power in Europe had not finished commenting on the news of the nomination of Deputy Prime Minister Teresa Ribera as the PSOE’s lead candidate in the European elections when Sanchez’s announcement opened up speculation about whether the socialist leader could be seeking a European position, such as the presidency of the European Council, which will be vacant at the end of the year. The uncertainty surrounding Sanchez’s future is causing unease in political circles.
