@vchan118: Remarks by His Majesty King Felipe VI before the Plenary Session of the European Parliament. I have the honor—which I deeply appreciate—of appearing before your lordships on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of Spain's accession to the European Communities. And I have the immense pleasure of doing so alongside my dear and admired President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa—of the Republic of Portugal, our sister nation. Together, let us take a historic step, another step, in our long shared history. But allow me also to express my extraordinary and heartfelt gratitude, on behalf of all Spaniards, for the expressions of affection we are receiving these days from so many authorities, institutions, and ordinary citizens from so many places, especially from the countries of the Union, following the terrible train accident that took place last Sunday night in the municipality of Adamuz, province of Córdoba. Amidst the immense grief for so many who lost their lives, for those who were injured, and for their families, these expressions of support and solidarity comfort us and strengthen our European spirit and sentiment, which is our great shared heritage. Ladies and gentlemen, I will speak to you about how, in these four decades, my country—Spain—has changed and grown, and how it has contributed to the change and growth of Europe. This story is very familiar to me because it is my own; mine and that of millions of Spaniards and Europeans who have participated in a project of coexistence that has made us all freer, more prosperous, and even stronger. That is the greatness of the Union. Allow me, then, to begin by speaking to you in retrospect. Madrid, June 12, 1985: on that day, in the Hall of Columns of the Royal Palace, the Treaty of Accession of Spain to the European Communities was signed. The following day, the media celebrated our integration into a political, economic, and social framework that our country recognized itself in, aspired to… and from which a civil war, followed by four decades of dictatorship, had separated it. It was not, therefore, a celebration of accession, but of a reunion. But that day, the joyous news of our return to Europe shared the front pages with the terrible news of two attacks by the terrorist group ETA, with four fatalities. That was also the harsh reality of the time. I want, in this house of Europeans, to pay tribute to all the victims of terrorism, hatred, and violence. Upon that tragic memory, and so as not to go back, we Europeans have built our project of concord. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no citizenship without the full awareness that we inhabit the same political space, and that any phenomenon affecting one part of that space affects us all. Our strength is our unity: how important it is, in these times, to remember that. Membership in Europe has been a decisive factor in Spain's transformation. If we are, today, one of the world's most solid and advanced democracies; if our economy leads the Eurozone's growth; if our GDP per capita has doubled since joining; if we are at the forefront of telecommunications and generate more than half of our energy from renewable sources, it is largely thanks to the modernization process we have experienced in and with Europe. But this process of change has been reciprocal. Spain has also contributed to—even led—European integration in many areas. I am thinking of citizenship, cohesion policy, the development of the social pillar, the area of freedom, security and justice, the recent use of joint debt mechanisms, the Southern Neighbourhood/Mediterranean relationship, and—together with Portugal—the emphasis on the strategic importance of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the Spain transformed by Europe and the Spain transforming Europe. Let us be aware of what this means; let us be aware of the responsibility that comes with preserving these achievements. Because the situation Europe is facing demands everyone's commitment.

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2026-01-22 02:44:47

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