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12 / 05 / 2004
King Juan Carlos opens the dialogue “The role of Europe in the world” with a tribute to the victims of 11-M two months after the terrorist attack
This morning, King Juan Carlos opened the Dialogue “The Role of Europe in the World”, which brings together winners of the Charlemagne Prize and is being held at the Forum Building Auditorium.
Joan Clos, president of the Forum and mayor of Barcelona, also participated in the opening of the Dialogue, as did, Jurgen Linden, mayor of Aachen; Pasqual Maragall, president of the Catalan seat of government; and, Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission.
During his speech, King Juan Carlos paid tribute to the victims of the March 11 terrorist attack in Madrid and insisted on the need to break the “spell of terrorism” by reinforcing European cooperation and using all of the instruments offered by Democracy. The king also emphasized Spain’s commitment to Europe and called for the future European constitution to include an article providing European citizens with justice, liberty and security.
King Juan Carlos also called for Europe to respond to the challenge of immigration and to contribute to the sustainable development of those societies needing it. The king congratulated the 10 countries that joined the European Union on May 1, making the “dream of reunifying the continent” come true. The king hopes for a stronger and more unified Europe that promotes “democracy, tolerance and respect for human rights.”
Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission, stated that, with the recent expansion to a total of 25 member states, “Europe has made a giant step forward, has overcome a historic absurdity, and has made a dream come true.” According to Prodi, “Europe is now the continent with the greatest social and linguistic diversity, and with shared values such as democracy, welfare state, minority rights and the European concept of solidarity.”
Prodi added that we need to defend European defense and security in the face of terrorism, but without putting up “new walls, which can be jumped, nor new tanks, which can be shot down.“ Prodi seconded King Juan Carlos by making special mention of the reinforcement of “friendly ties with our neighbors, such as Russia and Morocco”.
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