Minister for Europe, Chris Bryant, will be visiting Madrid this week for a series of meetings covering key items on the European agenda including Spain’s forthcoming presidency of the EU.

Chris Bryant will be spending time with his Spanish counterpart, Diego López Garrido, to discuss a range of bilateral issues, including Spain’s forthcoming presidency of the EU, and attending a meeting to exchange information on national approaches to promoting youth employment.

The Minister will also be addressing a seminar on climate change, in which leading figures from the public and private sectors will gather to discuss the UK’s Climate Change Act in the context of European negotiations ahead of the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference.

Chris Bryant said:

‘This is a fascinating time for European politics: the Lisbon Treaty has been ratified, the EU is driving the agenda for climate change, and we are showing the power of working together to combat the worst financial crisis for decades.

Spain will be managing the transition to a new Europe as the Lisbon Treaty comes into force, and I am convinced, given their strong EU credentials, that the Spanish government will be more than capable of fulfilling that responsibility.’