Madrid (EFE).- The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured this Thursday that Spain “will uphold the values of freedom of the press and expression” during its presidency of the European Union (EU) that begins next 1 July until the end of the year.
Albares made these statements during his speech at the delivery of the 40th edition of the King of Spain International Journalism Awards at the Casa de América in Madrid and stressed that Spain has proposed “as a country project, to continue working to protect freedom of expression and press as a value of Europe”.
The purpose of the King of Spain International Journalism Awards is to recognize the informative work of Spanish and Portuguese-language journalism professionals from the States that make up the Ibero-American Community of Nations and from the nations with which Spain maintains ties of a historical nature and relations cultural and cooperative
They have been granted annually since 1983, when they were created by the EFE Agency and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Albares pointed out that the Spanish presidency will promote “a new European law” on freedom of the press as well as other legal actions “to protect journalists” during the exercise of their profession that, in addition, they intend to “project in Latin America.”
Strengthen relations with Latin America
The minister insisted that “on July 1”, when Spain assumes the presidency, it will enforce “these values in Europe” and that the EU Summit with CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) on July 17 and 18 “It will be a starting point to consolidate this, with mechanisms and concrete goals to advance in common challenges.”
The minister recalled that “Europe is called to be a key player in the new international order and it cannot do so without its strategic partners with whom we share values such as Latin America.”
Albares stressed that the awards given today in Madrid are “also awards for the values of democracy and Human Rights” as well as “a wake-up call to the international community” on the “immediate and coordinated actions” needed to defend them.
“That is the vocation of Spanish foreign action and our work with our partners in Latin America,” he emphasized while recalling that Spain “continues to work on programs to strengthen democracy” with the region: “It is a common effort to protect the democracy class rules that are being threatened”.