- León has hosted the Conference marking the beginning of the parliamentary dimension of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year.
- Spain shall hold the Presidency of the EU from July 1 to December 31, and within the framework of its parliamentary dimension it shall hold a series of meetings on security, defence and democratic institutions, among other issues.
‘The idea of Europe is inseparable from what parliamentary assemblies represent’. With these words, His Majesty the King Felipe VI inaugurated the Global Conference on the Defence of Democratic Values, held today, June 30, on occasion of the International Day of Parliamentarism, presided over by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet, and the Speaker of the Senate, Ander Gil, marking the beginning of the parliamentary dimension of the Spanish Presidency of the European Union.
The global conference started at 9.30 am, with the first working session where, after the welcome address by Ms. Batet, the first Vice President of the European Parliament, Othmar Karas, and the Speakers of the German Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, Marketa Pekarova Adamova, and of the Parliament of Malawi, Catherine Gotani Hara, discussed matters related to parliamentary cooperation and the development of democracy.
This was followed by the inaugural session with the Head of State. In his address, Felipe VI stressed the importance of the venue where the meeting was taking place, being the Cortes de León the first documented example of such an institution and also the first to integrate the popular estate. In his Majesty’s view, that represents an “exceptional milestone, not only as regards Spain’s political and social history, but also Europe’s as a whole”.
Moreover, he highlighted the importance of the need to reflect on the functioning of parliament and of how to strengthen it for the good functioning of the democratic system. Felipe VI has affirmed that by enhancing the parliamentary system “we shall contribute to building more robust and more stable societies, with a greater confidence in themselves and more able to solve their problems”, which in turn will enhance citizens’ trust and will bring them closer to these democratic institutions, thus contributing to the legitimacy of representation.
Part of his address has also been focused on the threats faced by parliaments, which are not solely those that go “beyond borders”, in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but also those that are common to all of us. The latter, thanks to meetings such as the one being held today, shall help us to find common responses, so that we will face them united.
Parliaments embody democratic values
Subsequently, the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies stressed that this conference wants to pay tribute to the role played by parliaments “in the best way to pay homage to the democratic values they embody”, while there is a discussion and reflection on the current situation of democracies and the role to be played by parliaments to strengthen them.
Batet has recalled different events whose impact has “challenged the strength of our democratic system”, images which have caused “shock and concern” and that makes us wonder “how can it be possible that such serious assaults on democracy can occur in consolidated democracies”.
In a brief assessment, the Speaker of the Lower Chamber has mentioned the impact of polarization on the quality of the public debate and media affairs. We must also bear in mind the transformation of the communication sphere, with the emergence of new channels such as social media and how certain democracies are conditioned by authoritarian regimes.
Against this background, the goal of the conference has been to help to share the analysis and set a common framework by the representatives, who have the duty to ensure that their actions “are preserved and coherent with the values of tolerance, respect and pluralism, inherent to the democratic system”.
Next, the Speaker of the Senate, Mr. Ander Gil, has pointed out that the venue of this working session is the town of León, symbol of parliamentarism. After a historical description of parliamentary systems, he stressed the need to enhance democracy to protect freedom.
Likewise, he highlighted how parliaments have strived in recent years to face difficulties and show with facts that they “deeply believe in the democratic ideal”. Gil stressed that the nature of parliaments’ activities combines “the essence of the democratic game and that of participatory democracy, and the parliaments, elections and the rule of Law are their best expression”.
Gil has stated that the problems affecting democracy “can solely be solved with more democracy”, acknowledging the “active and engaged attitude” of “citizens’ mobilization” for its defence. According to the Speaker, it will be the civil society who will defend the institutions of the democratic State. He concluded his address asking for a reinforcement of participatory processes and decision-making, dialogue and negotiation, which will indeed be “the best legacy” that can be made to Europe’s history.
The inaugural session was followed by the keynote speech delivered by John Keane, author of “The life and death of democracy” in a session moderated by the Speaker of the Senate under the title ‘León as cradle of parliamentarism’.
The conference continued at 2.30pm with a central session entitled ‘Defence of European values and democratic institutions faced with the new threats and challenges to democracy’ moderated by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet, and with the participation of the Speaker of the National Assembly of Slovenia, Urška Klakocar Zupancic, and the Speakers of the Swedish Riksdagen, Andreas Norlén, of the Portuguese National Assembly, Augusto Ernesto Santos Silva, and of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandrokovic.
The conference concluded at 4pm with a closing session where the Speaker of the Congress has addressed the participants, and with the adoption of the ‘León Declaration on Parliamentarism‘, read out by the Director General of Inter Pares, Jonathan Murphy.