Perspectives from Spain (Madrid)

Atlantic Perspectives Interview Report, nº. 15

The perceptions and opinions of Spanish stakeholders on the Atlantic are highly diverse but coincide in the need to include Latin America in Transatlantic relations. Most interviewees in Spain focused on economic aspects and security interests in the Atlantic, while people and institutions, resources and environment ranked second. The overwhelming majority of interviewees shared a rather sceptical view on the future of the Atlantic as an articulated and institutionalized space or a community of values. There was also a consensus on the view that Latin America is part of the Atlantic identity, while Africa is more distant in terms of values and norms, development and common interest. The North-South divide is still present, but most interviewees agreed on the need for a more balanced and horizontal relationship taking into account the power shifts towards regional leaders like Brazil, Mexico or South Africa, on the one hand, and multinational companies and “global civil society networks, on the other.