On 31 December 2023, the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU came to an end. Four priorities were set out under its six-month programme to focus efforts on:

• Promoting the reindustrialisation of the EU and its strategic autonomy;
• Advancing the green transition;
• Achieving greater social justice and economy;
• Strengthening Europe's unity (→ eucrim 2/2023, 119).

Legislative milestones achieved under the Spanish Presidency include the agreement reached on 9 December 2023 on the Legislative Artificial Intelligence Regulation and the closure of the Migration and Asylum Pact. Furthermore, at the end of December 2023, the EU Council decided to approved the Schengen extension, i.e., to remove air and maritime internal border controls with Bulgaria and Romania from March 31, 2024.

In the area of justice, agreements on the proposal for a Directive for the protection of the environment through criminal law and on the proposal for a directive on asset recovery and confiscation could be reached. A summary of all achievements can be found on the website of the 2023 Spanish Presidency of the EU.