Spain has built through the years a resilient energy system, based on home-grown renewable energy and a diversified network of energy suppliers. You have – we spoke about it – the largest regasification capacity in Europe, and you are already becoming the main hub for LNG from Africa and the Americas.

Now all of Europe agrees that we must cut our dependency on Russian fossil fuels. It is crucial for our climate goals and to end the Kremlin's blackmail. Last month, we put forward a new plan, called REPowerEU, to replace 150 billion cubic metres of Russian gas per year. That is the amount of gas that we imported last year from Russia. First of all, I have agreed with President Biden the additional supply of 50 billion cubic metres of LNG from next year on.

This will replace already one-third of Russian gas. We are redoubling our hydrogen goals. This could replace another third. And we will privilege cross-border projects, for example the critical connection between Portugal, Spain and France. It has to come now. Because together, we can set ourselves free from Russian threats. And therefore, even those projects, the interconnections, between Spain and France, show that it has a geopolitical importance, and we really should work on it as a Union.

#eudebates the unique initiative aiming to promote debate, dialogue, knowledge, participation and communication among citizens. #Economy #Spain #Eurozone #eudebates #NextGenerationEU #2021RCE

The current presidency of the European Commission began in December 2019, a few months before the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, President von der Leyen has led a coordinated action with all the member states, contributing to the strength and construction of Europe. Specifically, with this award, we want to highlight initiatives promoted by the European Union to deal with the pandemic and its consequences. First, the launch of the Next Generation EU funds, an ambitious program to support the recovery and resilience of EU countries in the face of the pandemic-induced crisis, which is financed by the issuance of joint debt. This program breaks down a double barrier to traditional Union policies; on the one hand, for the solidarity contribution of transfers to the countries most affected by the crisis; and on the other hand, for its financing through the issuance of debt with the guarantee of the budget of the same Commission.

Teresa Garcia-Milà, President of the Jury, emphasized: “In the face of the crisis caused by the pandemic, the coordinated action of all the member states, led by President von der Leyen, has responded to the economic and social needs of the citizens of the European Union with innovative and effective actions. The launch of the Next Generation EU funds is a poof of how the European Union is overcoming its limitations and strengthening itself by responding to difficult situations.”

The second initiative was to develop a series of health proposals, including a European Union strategy for vaccination against Covid-19, in order to accelerate the development, manufacture and distribution of vaccines. An important action within this strategy has been the joint purchase of vaccines to ensure uniform and single-price access to all Member States. This has led to a crucial step forward regarding the coordination and control of the pandemic.

As the president of Cercle d’Economia, Javier Faus, states: “Delivering the European Construction Award to Ursula von der Leyen, Cercle d’Economia wants to recognize the trajectory of those people who, due to their political leadership or presence in European institutions, have contributed to the construction and integration of Europe, its culture, its strength, and the presence of the Union in the world. It is a real honour to present the second edition of this award to the President of the European Commission. Cercle d’Economia maintains its firm commitment to Europe. More European integration is the recipe for facing the great economic, social and geopolitical challenges we face”.

This year marks the second edition of this award dedicated to recognizing the careers of those who have contributed to the construction of the European Union. During the 2021 Cercle d’Economia Annual Meeting, Pedro Sánchez, President of the Spanish Government, and Javier Faus, President of Cercle d’Economia, presented the first award to Mario Draghi, President of the Italian Council of Ministers. At the time of the award’s resolution, Draghi was chairing the European Central Bank and agreed to collect the award during the Cercle d’Economia Annual Meeting scheduled for the end of May 2020.

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