Christmas Message from His Majesty the King at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Good evening. Forty years ago, in this very Hall of Columns in Madrid’s Royal Palace, the treaty was signed that brought us into the European Communities. It’s also 50 years since the beginning of our transition to democracy. These anniversaries prompt me to talk to you, this Christmas Eve, about cohesion; our democratic cohesion, via our memory of how we got here and our confidence in the present and the future.
Above all, the Transition was a collective act of responsibility. It arose from the shared will to build a future of freedoms based on dialogue. In the end, those who set this process in motion enabled the people of Spain as a whole to be the true protagonists of their future and to achieve their full sovereignty.
Despite their differences and uncertainty, they were able to settle their disagreements and transform a situation in flux into a solid starting point, even though they could not be sure of achieving their aims. Their courage – the courage to move forward without guarantees, but together – is one of the most valuable lessons they taught us.
That drive led to the Constitution of 1978, the set of shared ideas that is the foundation of our present and how we live together, a framework broad enough to provide a place for all of us, in all our diversity.
Joining the process of European integration was another decisive, inspiring and motivating step forward. And it was also the result of a collective commitment: that of a country wanting to end an era marked by a prolonged estrangement from Europe, with whom we share principles and values, and a shared project for the future. Europe did not just bring modernisation and economic and social progress: it strengthened our democratic freedoms.
This historical perspective shows us that Spain has undergone an unprecedented transformation in the last five decades, enabling us to consolidate democratic freedoms, political pluralism, decentralisation, openness to the outside world, and prosperity.
Our society is shaped by generations who remember the Transition, and others who did not experience it, and who were born and raised in democracy and freedom. Generations of older people who have seen Spain change as never before in our history; generations of adults who work hard to balance their responsibilities towards work, family, and themselves; and generations of young people who are now facing new difficulties with initiative and commitment.
All of them are necessary for us to move forward in a fair and cohesive way. And I am talking to all of them now.
It is undeniable that we are living through tough times. Many citizens feel that the rising cost of living is restricting their options for progress; that access to housing is an obstacle for the projects of too many young people; that the speed of technological advances is leading to job insecurity; and that extreme climate events are an increasing and sometimes tragic factor in our lives.
We have many challenges… And citizens also feel that tensions in political debate are leading to weariness, disappointment and a lack of engagement. These are all real situations that cannot simply be resolved by rhetoric or force of will.
Throughout the last 50 years, our country has shown time and again that it can respond to internal and external challenges when there is goodwill, perseverance, and a vision of the country. We have seen it in economic crises, in health emergencies, in natural disasters, and we also see it every day in the quiet, responsible work of millions of people.
Spain has made progress when we have been able to find goals to share. And the root of any shared project must always be cohesion. I have already talked about this on other occasions, but it is the foundation of our life as a democracy. Those who came before us were able to build it even in circumstances as difficult as those of 50 years ago.
But cohesion is not an everlasting legacy. It is not enough to receive it: it is a fragile construction. That is why we must all make caring for cohesion part of our daily work. And for that we need trust.
In this turbulent world, where multilateralism and the world order are in crisis, democratic societies are going through an unsettling crisis of confidence. And this is seriously affecting the public mood and the credibility of institutions.
Extremism, radicalism and populism feed on this lack of trust, on disinformation, inequalities, disappointment with the present and uncertainty about the future.
It is not enough to remember that we have been through this before, that we already know that chapter of history, and that its consequences were disastrous. It is up to all of us to preserve trust in our democratic cohesion. We should ask ourselves, without pointing the finger at anyone, or looking to pass the buck: What can each of us do to strengthen this cohesion? What are the red lines we must not cross?
I’m talking about dialogue, because the solutions to our problems require the involvement, responsibility and commitment of all of us; I’m talking about respect in the language we use and how we listen to other opinions; I’m talking about the need for exemplary behaviour in the exercise of all public powers; and about empathy and the need to place the dignity of human beings, especially the most vulnerable, at the centre of all our discourse and all our politics.
Let’s remember, this Christmas Eve, that in a democracy, our own ideas should never be dogmas, and the ideas of others should never be threats; that moving forward is something we do step by step, with agreements and forbearance, but always in the same direction, not getting ahead based on doing someone else down; and that Spain is, above all, a shared project: a way to gather – and realise – individual interests and aspirations around the same notion of the common good.
Every historical period has its own challenges. There are no easy paths. Ours are not any more or less challenging than those that faced our parents or grandparents. But we have one great asset: our ability to take those paths together.
Let’s do that with the memory of these 50 years, and let’s do it with confidence. Fear only creates barriers and noise, and barriers and noise prevent us from understanding reality in all its breadth.
We are a great country. Spain is full of initiative and talent, and I believe that more than ever, the world needs our point of view, our creativity and our capacity for hard work, our sense of justice and equity, and our strong commitment to Europe, its principles and its values.
We can achieve our goals, with successes and errors along the way, if we work together; all of us participating with pride in this great project of a shared way of life that is Spain.
With the conviction that together we will be able to move forward towards this, I give you all my best wishes for the season and the new year, as do the Queen and our daughters, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofía.
Merry Christmas to all. Feliz Navidad, Eguberri On, Bon Nadal, Boas Festas.
