Inauguration of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council

Following the ceremony of the hoisting of both the Spanish and European Union flags, José Manuel Albares reiterated to all attending staff of the Permanent Representation of Spain that our Presidency is a project undertaken by all Spaniards for all Europeans. He also recalled the priorities of the Spanish semester: to reindustrialise the EU; to advance in the ecological transition; to achieve greater social and economic justice, and to strengthen the unity of Europe.

Jose Manuel Albares then inaugurated the exhibition "Solar Landscape", on display in the glass atrium of the European Union Council building with the aim of bringing EU institutions closer to the public. In the words of the minister, the artistic project of Rocío Asensi represents "light, sun, ecological transition and energy", European values that Spain intends to promote during the six-month Presidency of the Council of the EU. "Artistic creation - as he pointed out - is the heart and soul of European culture and European culture is the foundation of the entire European construction". "Spain - he added - is a country of artistic creation, full of art, of cultural diversity and that is also what Spain shall be offering and showcasing throughout this six-month period”. 

Other participants in the opening ceremony of the Spanish Presidency in Brussels were the dancer María Pagés and the Basque Culinary Centre (BCC). María Pagés and her team from the Choreographic Centre that bears her name have created the show entitled "Europa, mi amor" especially for this occasion, appealing to the values of unity and community, the basis of the European Union, through the universal language of dance. In turn, the BCC has designed a culinary and cultural program with the aim of promoting the experience of tasting traditional and avant-garde Spanish and European flavours. 

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