Pedro Sánchez has traveled to Rome for two days to take a breath at a difficult moment for his Government in Spain and to give himself some joy in his role as an international leader. In Italy, he is a star, especially for the left, due to his stance against Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. It is not an exaggeration to say that he would have a chance of winning a primary. But also across the entire political spectrum and in the media, Spain’s good economic data is discussed, bitterly compared with Italy’s, and its recipes for success are analyzed. Sánchez, a defender of international law and president of one of the few countries that has increased its development aid — while it has fallen by 23% worldwide in the wake of Trump — also has a very supportive audience at the FAO, the United Nations organization for Food and Agriculture. “Hunger is a cheaper weapon than missiles and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law,” proclaimed the president, who was received with a great ovation when he entered his assembly hall this Tuesday.
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The head of government attended a high-level session at the FAO on the serious effects of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on food security, as it has driven up the price of fertilizers and seeds, essential for agriculture, by 50%, and could trigger a colossal humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, on Wednesday he will be received at the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV, with whom he also shares many political lines, a rapport that could be leveraged on his next trip to Spain from June 6 to 12. However, a possible meeting with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, did not materialize in the end.
However, in reality, all the Spanish press waiting for Sánchez was focused on another matter, the judicial investigation of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and when asked loudly, as he entered the building, what he thought about it, the president replied that he would talk about it the next day, this Wednesday. A press conference is scheduled after he meets the Pope. So he postponed the unpleasant moment by a day and enjoyed the morning in Rome. So far, the PSOE leader has only spoken once about the Zapatero case, during the government control session last Wednesday in Congress. At that time, he expressed his support for the former president, but since then new revelations have come to light.
The atmosphere in the large FAO hall, with many young people taking photos, was that of an engaged audience. The humanitarian and cooperation sector has been severely affected by the major cuts of the Trump era, which began with the dismantling of the US Aid agency and has continued with a drop in aid from many countries. Within the United Nations itself, it has led to thousands of layoffs, also in its three agencies in Rome dedicated to combating world hunger: the FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), led by the Spaniard Álvaro Lario, who was also present at the event.
The three heads praised Spain in their speeches for its contribution to development aid. Sánchez heard stratospheric praise with probable antidepressant effects. “The poor and hungry of the world have a true ally in Spain,” proclaimed the WFP director, American Cindy McCain. “In China, he is known as a pillar of stability in Europe and the West,” assured the FAO Director-General, the Chinese Dongyu Qu.
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The audience received Sánchez with a standing ovation, and while he spoke, ovations followed at significant passages. When he said, speaking about the war, that “humanitarian workers can never and must never be a target.” Or when mentioning Gaza, “where some intend to win a war by subjecting that people to starvation.” Also when he condemned that 45 million people could die of hunger as a result of the current crisis caused by the Iran war: “They pay for others’ political delusions.” “The only scarcity they suffer is empathy and decency,” he said referring to the countries that started the war. And he added, with another ovation: “They are the same ones who mistreated some of a flotilla that only intended to bring humanitarian aid.” He received another when he warned: “No one is safe until we are all safe.” At the end, after 20 minutes of speech, shouts of “bravo!” were even heard.
Controversy in Italy over Planas’s candidacy for the FAO
But Sánchez had another mission at the FAO: to support the candidacy of Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, to be the next Director-General of the institution, in the elections to be held in June 2027. Planas entered with Sánchez and stood by his side in the official photos along with the leaders of the three UN agencies. In his speech, the Spanish president praised him as “a solid candidate,” and also supported the re-election of Álvaro Lario at the head of IFAD.
However, this Spanish maneuver has caused a stir, both in the three Roman UN agencies, as it is considered impossible for Spain to aspire to occupy two of the three leadership positions, and also in Italy. Planas’s candidacy was a surprise because there were already two European proposals, the Irish Phil Hogan and, above all, the Italian Maurizio Martina. This occurs in a highly contested worldwide election where it is advisable that each continent goes united with a single candidate, so as not to split the vote. Spain already tried unsuccessfully in 2011 with Miguel Ángel Moratinos, former Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Rome government has not taken it well at all, nor has the opposition, since Martina is from the Democratic Party (PD), center-left, which does not understand why their Spanish socialist colleagues suddenly compete with them. Moreover, it has been a rare achievement that Meloni’s government also supports it. The Italian Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, has even written to the EU demanding a common European stance. But Sánchez’s government has gone ahead with its candidacy.
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