P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
9
Dissident and committed, Paul Krugman defends the idea that an economy should first and
foremost fight against social injustice and inequality, and the need for there to be people with an
active conscience in support of the most needy. “The free market,” he has said, “is a useful tool but
not a religion.” An ever-more sustainable welfare state should be a vital, key priority for all societies
that seek to effectively confront the challenges of globalization in a new century that sets its sights
on achieving balanced and fair development.
Journalism of the most vivid and profound type has been the protagonist of our Awards on a
number of occasions.This is once again the casewith thebestowingof theAward forCommunication
and Humanities on Jean Daniel, a French journalist of Algerian descent. Combining the precision
of sharp, effective criticism with a tone of serenity and commitment founded upon understanding,
Jean Daniel has remained faithful to values of independence and humanism that set him apart
in the world of international journalism and place him alongside distinguished and decisive
intellectuals of the past century, such as Albert Camus and André Malraux.
Despite the difficulties generated in an environment of such complexity and self-interest, Jean
Daniel has lucidly argued that informative, socially-committed journalism should not be confused
with public spectacle and the merely audiovisual, and that truthful information is quite the opposite
to certain messages, described in his own words as “perverse and
frightening”, that the mass media sometimes serve up to us.
The example of Jean Daniel, a journalist of our times and
for our times, can serve as an invaluable aid in a commitment
—that should unite us all— to lay the foundations to sustain a
more educated and learned society, in which the media enables
citizens to access truthful information that provides the means
to form independent opinions and criteria.
The Award for International Cooperation bestowed upon
the European Union’s Erasmus programme brings us back to
Europe and its culture and —more importantly— to our young. Few firmly established projects
are as deserving of this Award as this pan-European programme for educational exchange. Two
thousand universities from thirty countries are involved in it. As the Jury has pointed out, it is
“one of the greatest projects in international cooperation in the history of mankind”. The facts and
figures regarding the educational, cultural and social benefits of such an ambitious programme,
speak for themselves as regards the wisdom and foresight of a project that reflects, like no other,
the ideals of peace, solidarity and integration at the heart of the project for the construction of
Europe. Since its launch in 1987, two million young Europeans have had the opportunity to study
in another European country, learning its language, freely communicating with lecturers and
fellow-students alike, sharing their customs and cultures. One would be hard-pressed to imagine a
system that contributes in such an efficient and exciting way to fostering a sense of belonging and
the consolidation of an awareness of European citizenship. The success of the Erasmus Programme
ratifies the immense benefits that an awareness of one’s own idiosyncracies and those of others,
contact between different languages and cultures and an understanding of differences provide
for our coexistence within Europe. In short, it has highlighted the paramount importance that
this exchange of experience in an ever more receptive world has on the character building and
the broadening of horizons of our young people. Once again, education and culture are shown
to be irreplaceable for coexistence and mutual understanding as tools for increasing people’s
opportunities and also as factors for integration and social peace.
Human qualities and sincerity have always validated the sublime value and exemplary nature
of art. Such is the case of Spanish musician and guitarist Paco de Lucía, who has been granted the
Award for Arts for the universal nature of his work, his creativity, its genuine character, which
is both innovative yet also respectful of the essence of Flamenco, the essential art of Andalusian
culture, which is so universal yet such a part of us. The sounds and rhythms of Paco de Lucía’s
guitar, his loyalty towards tradition yet at the same time his originality and heterodoxy, have
“We look towards new, promising horizons,
guided by the idea that the united peoples
of Spain are the greatest guarantee of
stability and the progress of all.”
