Spain takes over the Presidency of the EU / Inauguration ceremony scheduled tonight, at Madrid

The inauguration ceremony, marking the Spanish takeover of the EU Presidency from Sweden who ended its mandate. Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will attend a reunion at the Moncloa Palace where he will receive European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and the EC President Jose Manuel Barroso.

The chief of the Spanish executive will attend the ceremony which will proceed in the presence of the kings of Spain, Princes of Asturias and the authorities.

Spain will mark a new era in the EU and its main priorities are the rapid and dynamic implementation of the Lisbon Treaty to consolidate the EU and the economic revival of the region.