“Europe Is the Answer”

Tourists, students and immigrants coming to Spanish ports have not just entered Spain. They have arrived in the greatest area of liberty, democracy and social progress: the European Union. For the 453 million Europeans this is a reality but a goal for hundreds of thousands of others in the world – a goal from which they are separated just by a small barrier or a stretch of sea only a few miles wide. So, by entering our doors, those people try to escape the humiliating poverty or repression they’re suffering. Entry regulations cannot be left just to the countries closest to Europe’s points of entry as shown by the recent events. This is why Spain advocates the staging of a Euro-African conference on the subject of immigration.
The EU is likewise facing two big challenges: our prosperity and our security. I believe in the Lisbon strategy to cope with globalization. In terms of security, we’ll have to develop our own police cooperation, but also promote dialogue among the nations. We must destroy the arguments that encourage terrorism. After the storm of this spring, Europe should go back on the right track.