Strasbourg, 07/10/2015 (Agence Europe) - In his address to MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday 7 October, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, called for a strengthening and deepening of the European Union and for it to have a greater presence on the world stage.
King Felipe set out his vision for the future of Europe, ending by stating that on the day of his investiture as king on 19 June 2014, he had told the Spanish parliament that the time had come for a new, updated monarchy and he told the European Parliament, which represents European citizens, that work must be done for a renewal of Europe for a new era in a different world.
After making a barely concealed reference to the Catalan separatist question, pointing out that Spain was united in its diversity of cultures, traditions and languages, a diversity that meshed with the “sincere and firm” desire of Spaniards to live together, the Spanish king sketched over the current and future challenges facing the European Union.
Pointing out that the objectives underlying the European project in the twentieth century were not enough for the twenty-first century, he stressed the need to not rest on one's laurels and to look beyond Europe's current achievements to set new, more ambitious targets to breathe a new energy into European integration. He said this integration would inevitably mean boosting the democratic legitimatcy of the European project in order to bring European citizens closer to the European decision-making process. In his view, improvements are needed in European governance while ensuring the independence and separation of powers and transparency in institutional activities.
He said a deepening of economic and monetary union seemed inevitable against this backdrop, and recommended financial mechanisms to boost solidarity among the member states and avoid repeating “the excesses of the past.” Holding back slightly from the appeal made in July by the French president, François Hollande, for the eurozone to have a proper budget, Felipe VI stressed the need to give the eurozone a rigorous budget framework and deepen Banking Union in order to curb fragmentation on the financial markets and ensure the competitiveness and convergence of European economies.
Nevertheless, his words no doubt aimed at a wider audience outside the EP, particularly Spaniards facing unemployment and the economic crisis, the king recalled the need to include a social dimension in European policies under Article 9 of the TFUE proclaiming the EU's commitment to promoting a high level of employment, the guarantee of adequate social protection, a high level of education, training and protection of public health and fighting against social exclusion.
The king also expressed a desire to for a consolidation of the EU's presence on the global stage in order, among other things, to promote peace and security in the world, eradicate poverty and combat terrorism. In this perspective, he called for a dusting off and strengthening of the common security and defence policy. In the light of the refugee crisis that has shaken the EU in recent weeks, the king said a strong European neighbourhood policy was required with the countries surrounding the Union to avoid exodus, violence and insecurity. “We must respond with generosity, solidarity and responsibility,” he said. In this connection, he outlined the experience of his own country and the ministerial conference in Barcelona in April with countries bordering the EU to the south.
Less than two months ahead of the Paris Conference (COP21), the question of the fight against climate change was also briefly addressed by the Spanish monarch, stressing the need to make progress in this domain “for future generations.” (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)