This Saturday, two important progressive meetings coincide in Barcelona. On one side, the second day of the Global Progressive Mobilisation, the meeting of left-wing parties seeking solutions to confront the wave of the far right, in which, among others, the Minister of Social Inclusion and Migrations, Elma Saiz, and the Minister of Justice, Féliz Bolaños, will speak this Saturday, and which will be closed by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and the Brazilian leader Luiz Inazio Lula da Silva. On the other, the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, in which Sánchez and other leaders such as the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, will also participate. Again, the goal is to unite forces and try to stop the global wave of extremism and populism.
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Leaders begin arriving at the Meeting in Defense of Democracy
Leaders begin arriving at the IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy, held in Barcelona. The first to cross the pavilion doors was the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, without making statements. The event features the presence of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who has brought together progressive leaders from around the world in the Catalan capital. Among others, participating are the President of Brazil, Luiz Inázio Lula da Silva; the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum; and the Head of State of Colombia, Gustavo Petro. The goal is to unite forces and try to stop the global wave of extremism and populism advancing worldwide.
Claudia Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum arrives in Barcelona on her first visit to Europe as President of Mexico
The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, is already in Spain. The leader landed on Friday night at Barcelona’s El Prat airport to participate in the IV summit for the defense of democracy. This is Sheinbaum’s first trip to Europe since taking office in October 2024 and the first visit of a Mexican head of state to Spanish territory in eight years, following the official tour by Enrique Peña Nieto in 2018. The meeting scheduled for this Saturday with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, will be the first high-level meeting between representatives of both countries since then.
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PROGRESSIVE SUMMIT IN BARCELONA
The progressive summit seeks solutions against populism: curbing business with public services and taxing the ultra-rich
The global economy has been subjected to multiple crises for more than half a decade. First was the collapse due to the covid-19 pandemic, which left business activity in hibernation. When the world woke up, bottlenecks in global trade arrived, and almost immediately, an energy crisis that skyrocketed commodity prices and triggered interest rate hikes. The conflict in the Middle East now threatens to unleash another inflationary wave that will again hit citizens’ pockets. Again, flammable material that the far right can use.
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Good morning. We resume the narration of the international progressive summits taking place this weekend in Barcelona. On one side, the Global Progressive Mobilisation, which will feature interventions by the Ministers of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, and Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, among others. On the other, the meeting In Defense of Democracy, in which Pedro Sánchez, the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, will participate.
This is how we covered the first day of the progressive leaders’ meeting in Barcelona
This concludes the coverage of the first day of the Global Progressive Mobilisation summit, in which, among others, former Minister Teresa Ribera and former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero participated on Friday, April 17, 2026. EL PAÍS will offer you the latest updates on this event again tomorrow, which will feature interventions by the Ministers of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, and Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, among others. Good night and thank you for following us.
Lula at the Brazil-Spain business summit: “There is no need to be afraid to invest in Brazil”
By Lorraine Delorenzo. In addition to the bilateral agenda and the meeting of progressive leaders, the Brazilian president, Lula da Silva, participated this afternoon in Barcelona in the business summit between Brazil and Spain, held at the Melina Hotel, with the presence of some of the main executives of Spanish companies. Among them, Ignacio Sánchez Galán (Iberdrola), José María Álvarez-Pallete (Telefónica), Maurici Lucena (AENA), Marc Murtra (Indra), Beatriz Corredor (Rede Eléctrica de España), and José Aljaro (Abertis), among other representatives.
Lula defended the need to strengthen economic ties between both countries. “There is no need to be afraid to invest in Brazil. The bilateral relationship works both ways,” he said. The leader celebrated the climate of understanding with the Spanish business community and recalled the support he received in his first term from companies like Telefónica and Santander.
Julissa Reynoso, former US ambassador to Spain: “Our democracy will come out of this stronger than ever”
Julissa Reynoso, US ambassador to Spain during Joe Biden’s term, conveyed a message of hope in the response to Trumpism by the institutions and society of her country. “Not all is lost, I have great faith. In my country, there is a movement for us to become the country we once were again. I believe that in the future, with the institutional crisis we are experiencing, we will come out stronger. I don’t want progressive friends to leave thinking there is no significant resistance within the United States. Democracy will come out of this stronger than ever,” she said at the Global Progressive Summit in Barcelona. Reynoso did not sugarcoat reality and acknowledged that the moment is “complicated” and “very difficult” but added, “we must be patient.” The former ambassador trusts in a turnaround in the midterm elections next November. “We are convinced that in those elections, the Democratic Party, particularly the left wing of the party, will have a striking result. We have achieved historic results in districts where we did not have them, and in November, we will do very well,” she predicted.
Salvador Illa
Illa embraces the international agenda while navigating internal crises
Barcelona has hosted in just one week a symposium organized by the European media Politico, two international summits, and a conference, the Global Progressive Mobilisation, on global progressivism. The Government maintains that the hectic agenda of these days reveals that Catalonia has regained “international prestige,” which the socialists consider was lost during the decade of the procés. The president, Salvador Illa, who met this Friday with the President of Brazil Lula da Silva, has bet since taking office in 2024 on external projection and internationalization policies, something that now fits perfectly with the budgets in the air and teachers and doctors on strike demanding labor improvements.
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The Minister for Digital Transformation, Óscar López, during a roundtable within the framework of the Global Progressive Mobilisation held this Friday in Barcelona. / Alberto Estevez / EFE
Óscar López: “The far right plays hard on social media. We have to move fast and regulate them”
The speakers at the technology and AI panel at the Global Progressive Mobilisation summit in Barcelona highlighted that social media, and the internet in general, concentrate much of the political discourse in modern societies. Óscar López, Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, emphasized that talking about technology today is talking about politics, citing the Romanian elections, which had to be repeated due to Russian interference, as an example. “It is often said that regulation goes against competitiveness, but that is not true,” he assured, citing the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, when discussing the key points of that regulation: “Accountability, algorithm transparency, and child protection.”
“We cannot just sit and watch,” he insisted. “The far right plays hard on social media and spreads ideas we thought were overcome. They speak against feminism, question the reality of climate change, create campaigns against social justice. We have to move fast and regulate.”
Previously, upon arriving at the venue hosting the progressive summit, López had criticized the President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, for her criticisms of the Global Progressive Mobilisation: “We all know that Ayuso is the geopolitical beacon of the West,
and that she prefers ultra summits like the ones she holds with Milei,” he joked, in statements to the media collected by the Efe Agency. The Madrid president had accused the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, of meeting with “narco-states.” For López, this is a “rude and xenophobic message” towards Latin American countries. “Messages like today’s disqualify her. I certainly hope all Latin Americans living in Madrid take note,” he added.
Elma Saiz: “We are reducing irregular arrivals by around 50%”
The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migrations, Elma Saiz, stated that thanks to the Spanish Government’s migration approach, irregular arrivals have been reduced by 50%. “Besides making our society more prosperous. In other countries where they bet on other innovative solutions and policies, the figures for irregular arrivals are not better than those in our country,” she said in a panel also featuring the Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close.
The minister recalled that a recent CIS survey showed that when citizens are asked if immigration is a problem, they respond affirmatively to a greater extent than when asked if it is a problem directly for them. “The difference in concern when the question is about their life drops drastically,” she highlighted, adding that there is an interested and “artificially created” narrative to make citizens believe that migration is a problem. “The best way to contribute to a positive culture that dismantles misinformation and hoaxes is data,” she assured.
Janja da Silva, on gender-based violence: “I am psychologically preparing to be attacked on social media during the upcoming elections in Brazil”
By Lorraine Delorenzo. The sociologist and Brazilian first lady, Janja da Silva, closed the first afternoon panel of the Global Progressive Mobilisation alongside the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo; and EL PAIS’s gender correspondent, Isabel Valdés. In her intervention, she warned of the “very dramatic” context in which women live.
Janja recalled that in Brazil “four women die every day due to gender-based violence” and evoked the case of Thais Rocha, murdered after being dragged by her ex-partner for more than a kilometer. Although she highlighted instruments like the Lei Maria da Penha and reporting channels, she warned of their insufficiency in the face of “the advance of the far right.”
The first lady also focused on “the invisible power of uncontrolled social media,” where, she denounced, deliberate speeches and coordinated attacks spread. “I am psychologically preparing to be attacked with deepfakes and campaigns on social media during this year’s elections in Brazil,” she said. Finally, she called on progressive leaders to address the issue and announced that the Brazilian president will defend the fight against gender-based violence in his speech tomorrow.
Former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero alongside the Minister of Equality, Ana Redondo; and sociologist Janja Lula da Silva at the progressive congress this Friday in Barcelona. / Alberto Estévez / EFE
Zapatero: “Those who least appreciate and defend democracy are those who most fight gender equality and feminism”
The socialist former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero captured the attention of the Global Progressive Summit with a plea about equality between men and women as the “most powerful transformative lever the world has” and as one of the main distinguishing features of progressivism against the far right and traditional right that adopts its postulates. “Those who least appreciate and defend democracy are those who most fight gender equality and feminism,” he asserted in a panel that attracted more than 500 attendees to the conclave, where the different branches of democratic left have set aside past quarrels.
Zapatero also emphasized “the peaceful resolution of conflicts” and condemned the “unspeakable action of Israel in Gaza” and the “worrying path” of the Iran war. Additionally, he highlighted that “it is no coincidence” that the summit is held in Spain and credited Pedro Sánchez, “a Prime Minister who leads courage, determination, and progressive goals.” “Perhaps this is the most important global progressive summit of this century, with the participation of more than 50 organizations and parties. We are playing for what kind of 21st century we want,” he warned. In his speech, the socialist reference urged the mobilization of the progressive electorate: “It must be brave; this is the historic moment when we need more internationalism.”
Vox activists protest at the progressive summit with signs calling left-wing leaders “narcos and corrupt”
A dozen Vox activists positioned themselves at the entrance to the Fira de Barcelona, where the first Global Progressive Summit is held, with two banners labeling the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum; and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as “narcos.” The second banner read “out with the corrupt,” featuring images of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez; former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero; Catalan President Salvador Illa; and socialist leader Josep Borrell. Ignacio Garriga, Vox’s secretary general, has called a rally at the complex’s gates this Saturday, with the slogan “out with narcos and corrupt.”
Ayuso contrasts her “freedom photo” with María Corina Machado with Sánchez’s “narco-states meeting”
The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, defended this Friday the “photo of freedom” she will stage this Saturday with the Nobel Peace Prize winner and Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, against the “narco-states meeting” of the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who attends a progressive summit in Barcelona with several global progressive leaders.
“Maybe there are two photos tomorrow: that of the free world meeting and that of a narco-states meeting around President Sánchez, who wants to lead as the leader of a confederation of some countries that, certainly, are not characterized precisely by being liberal democracies,” Ayuso said in statements to the media after meeting in Brussels with the Agriculture Commissioner, Christophe Hansen. (EFE)
Contained optimism at the progressive summit in Barcelona after recent setbacks of the far right
The atmosphere at the first of the two days of the Global Progressive Summit is one of contained optimism after recent setbacks of some of the major far-right figures. Viktor Orban lost the elections in Hungary on Sunday, and the relationship between Giorgia Meloni and Donald Trump has also been strained. The Italian Prime Minister has distanced herself from the US President after his criticisms of the Pope. These and other cracks in the ultra galaxy have helped raise spirits at the conclave held at the Fira de Barcelona. “The most valuable thing we can offer people is certainty and hope,” says a heavyweight of the PSOE leadership, highlighting that this is the first time the three main democratic left organizations have met: the Socialist International, which Pedro Sánchez has presided over since 2022; the Progressive Alliance; and the European Socialist Party.
Economist Isabella Weber says it is necessary to limit the profits of the super-rich
The first morning panels are very focused on economic and fiscal policies. In addition to the panel in which the First Vice President of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera, participated, another was held on how to “tax the super-rich and end extreme wealth inequality.” The Australian Labor Party leader, Wayne Swan, participated, recalling the “frustration” created among the population by “tax evasion.” “It is necessary to have a tax system so that those at the top pay what they should pay,” he said. Economist Isabella Weber pointed out that in recent years, the profits of food and energy companies have increased significantly. “Things we all need,” she noted. And that has resulted in the profits of the super-rich, who, in her opinion, have benefited from those increases. “We have to face the sharks and limit those profits,” she emphasized.
Ribera: “The EU needs to defend itself and not stay silent when we see things we don’t like”
The Vice President of the European Commission Teresa Ribera recalled the great responsibility the EU has not to disappoint citizens’ expectations in the European project and to prevent it from derailing, but warned: “We need to defend ourselves and not remain silent when we see things we don’t like. We have to be prepared to fight and not be protectors and take things for granted.” In the conversation with Mariana Mazzucato, the Italian economist – who joked that Ribera and she are like Thelma and Louise — defended limiting excessive profits that may occur in areas such as housing, health, or energy.
Teresa Ribera: “The lower labor share in wealth has increased social polarization”
The main event of the Global Progressive Mobilisation (GPM) sessions began this noon with a conversation between the First Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Competition, Teresa Ribera, and economist Mariana Mazzucato. Ribera stated during her first intervention that in recent decades there has been “a reduction in labor’s share within wealth.” “That contributes to the polarization of our societies, since the middle class does not see fulfilled the promise of a better future,” Ribera said, warning that principles such as “peace, cooperation, and law” to face global challenges are encountering social opposition. Mazzucato nodded and lamented that services such as health, energy, or especially housing are part of speculative portfolios in the financial sector.
INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS
Sánchez and Lula consolidate their bond as leaders of the left in Europe and America
The left reorganizes in the face of the global right-wing wave. Pedro Sánchez and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the leaders with the most media and political pull as references of progressives in Europe and America, will be the main protagonists this Friday at the start of a weekend in Barcelona focused on offering an alternative to the world of Donald Trump and the right and far right that dominate much of Europe and America.
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Good morning. Here begins the live narration of the first day of the Global Progressive Mobilisation summit, a meeting held in Barcelona with about a hundred progressive leaders present. The goal is to debate and defend progressive policies as an alternative to conservative ones. Among the participants this Friday are former Minister Teresa Ribera and former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.
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