Eduardo González
The King presided yesterday in Palma de Mallorca over the opening ceremony of the Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the European Union, during which he warned that, in the current context of international conflicts “at the gates of Europe” and in regions like the Middle East and Africa, “Europe is and must be a moral reference, as well as a strong, autonomous geopolitical actor open to international cooperation”.
During the event, held at the Royal Palace of La Almudaina and in which he was accompanied by the president of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol, and by the president of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, the King recalled that “the war has returned again at the gates of Europe” and that, therefore, “the invasion of Ukraine requires us to reflect again on the founding values of democracy, of our idea of shared democracy.”
“The European Union is founded on the values of peace, democracy, freedom, equality, the rule of law and respect for Human Rights,” he continued. “The most valuable thing about European integration is understood from the understanding of its original values,” because “the union of all European peoples around shared values is the clear hallmark of a Europe that, despite all the difficulties and even current frustrations, demonstrates its strength precisely when facing adversity,” he said.
“Europe knew how to go from a history of wars to being today the greatest example of regional integration with the creation of the European Union and today, once again, the European response to the war in Ukraine has been an example of unity and solidarity”, highlighted the Monarch.
Therefore, in this context of conflicts in the Middle East and in large regions of Africa (“spatially in the Sahel”), of migratory crises, “both in the Mediterranean and on the American continent”, and of “human tragedies or social crises and economic”, Europe “is and must be a moral reference, as well as a strong, autonomous and open geopolitical actor to international cooperation,” he warned. “In a time of increasing polarization, and in the context of the greatest technological transformation in our recent history, it is timely to remember, once again, that the essence of Europe is democracy,” he added.
The Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the European Union will be held in Palma from April 21 to 23, 2024. Previously, on Sunday the 21st, a meeting of presidents of Parliaments took place. This Conference concludes the events related to the parliamentary dimension of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which took place during the second half of 2023.
The Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of the European Union and the European Parliament has brought together, annually since 1999, the presidents of National Parliaments of the member countries of the European Union and the president of the European Parliament. It is organized in the first half of each year by the Parliament of the outgoing Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In the latest calls, the presidents of the Assemblies of the candidate countries have also been incorporated.
The conference constitutes a forum for the exchange of opinions, information and experiences on topics related to the role of Parliaments and the organization of parliamentary functions, as well as for the promotion of research activities and common action. The Conference also oversees the coordination of interparliamentary activities. These conferences are preceded by preparatory meetings of the general secretaries of the Chambers.
