<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>King Felipe VI attended the award ceremony of the 2025 International Charlemagne Prize in Aachen to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this Thursday in Aachen. He warned that the EU "cannot respond effectively" to the new security challenges posed by the US "with 27 disconnected security and defense policies."</strong></h4> King Felipe VI attended the award ceremony in the Coronation Hall of Aachen City Hall, along with the other heads of state and government present, to present the prize to Ursula von der Leyen, recognized for "her leadership in turbulent times and her contribution to the cohesion of the European Union Member States, the containment of the pandemic, European unity in the face of Russia, and the promotion of the Green Deal." During the event, the King delivered remarks from the lectern in which he warned of the need to reject the “dangerous and misguided voices that argue that Europeans will be freer, more independent, and more sovereign if they live in separate national political communities and work alone to address global challenges.” “This belief would reduce European citizens to residents of greatly diminished and powerless states, exposed and vulnerable to the whims of others” and would lead “to the weakening of the EU, the dismantling of some of its most important tools—those that were built to bring prosperity to European citizens—and a drastic reduction in its capacity to act on the global stage,” he continued. “No European state could assume this mantle alone. It would simply be lost and given away to other actors in the international system, most likely others with different values and interests,” the King asserted. “Therefore, when one looks at the major challenges we face, it must be clear to everyone that the only way to address them is by working together, as President von der Leyen has repeatedly emphasized,” he added. “This is true on the security, economic, and diplomatic fronts.” <h5><strong>Defense and economy</strong></h5> “Regarding security, a clear message is being sent from Washington: Europeans must do more to guarantee the defense of their own continent,” the King stated. “We must not underestimate the consequences of this message,” because “today, few people have lived in a Europe where the United States was not the main provider of security,” he continued. “This call for European autonomy must be answered in unison, because it is impossible to respond otherwise,” warned Felipe VI. “It is not possible to respond effectively with 27 disconnected security and defense policies, nor with 27 different procurement processes (of capabilities) that result in fragmented force structures,” he stated. Therefore, in the context of “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” it is necessary to “guarantee the construction of a lasting European security architecture that can prevent similar illegal actions in the future.” “Europe needs to develop its hard power, and we must do it together. There can be no security without a comprehensive vision, without a shared strategy, without a common determination,” he declared. The same arguments apply to "the fracture of the international economic and trade order" that Europe is facing as a "consequence of the ongoing tariff war, the erosion of the role of the World Trade Organization, and the weakening of very important public goods such as the security of maritime routes." "In a context where access to international markets is increasingly difficult, the response cannot come from further self-limitation or the erection of barriers in our 27 jurisdictions," he asserted. "It is obvious that we must further strengthen our single market, a vast market of hundreds of millions of consumers," he added. According to the King, "the European project, in all its dimensions—that of an integrated economic and political community—reinforces the sovereignty of European citizens." “We Spaniards are freer because we are part of Europe. We are richer because we belong to the EU and its single market. Our culture and language are better shared and protected in a community of almost 500 million people. Our values are better defended at home and abroad, and our interests are further advanced when we work together,” she said. “I say this precisely because next month marks the 40th anniversary of Spain's accession to the then EEC (European Economic Community), which came into force on January 1, 1986. It is important to remember where we come from. We are more Spanish because we belong to Europe. Not the other way around,” she asserted. <h5><strong>Von der Leyen</strong></h5> The ceremony continued with the presentation of the 2025 International Charlemagne Prize, awarded on its 75th anniversary “to an outstanding personality of a united Europe, whose visionary, courageous, and dynamic leadership will guide the European Union in these times of profound transformation.” According to the organization, German politics has led the Union "as a power founded on ideals in favor of peace, democracy, and partnership, strengthening Europe as a society of values, and, through increased competitiveness, ensuring that the great European peace project could also fulfill its promise of economic and social well-being to its citizens." Von der Leyen brings the number of honorees to 75. She is also the third Commission president to receive it, following Roy Jenkins in 1972 and Jacques Delors in 1992. The previous year, the prize was awarded to Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, as a sign that "Jewish life is an important part of Europe's history and present." Other award recipients include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, former Prime Minister Felipe González, former US President Bill Clinton, French President Emmanuel Macron, current Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and former EU Foreign Minister Javier Solana, among others.
