It's not often that an EU member state decides to hold a national election just as it takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union. But that's exactly what the Spanish government did on July 23, just three weeks after starting its six-month stint at the helm of the EU. In this second part of the show, we focus on Spain's scientific research and the importance of EU funds to the country. 

We take you to Spain's national scientific research council, which is very much aligned with the EU's goals on cutting-edge research and strategic autonomy in key industries.

We also take a closer look at EU cohesion funding and Next Generation EU funds (the post-Covid recovery plan) in Spain, with two of the country’s leading economists.

In our motion design segment, Sophie Samaille reports on how cohesion funds help communities across EU borders.

And FRANCE 24's Luke Brown reports on the Franco-Spanish Treaty of Barcelona and cross-border projects.

Read moreWatch part one of the show

Show presented by Armen Georgian, produced by Johan Bodin, filmed on location by Johan Bodin and Stéphane Bodenne, with Luke Brown. Editor-in-chief: Caroline de Camaret.

_{Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the DG Regional and Urban Policy. Neither the European Union nor the DG Regional and Urban Policy can be held responsible for them.}