Address by Her Majesty the Queen at the state dinner on the occasion of the state visit of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain, Amsterdam, October 23th, 2001.
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Your Majesty,
It gives my family and me great pleasure to welcome you and Queen Sofía here today as our guests and as dear relatives. The fact that this is your second State visit to the Netherlands illustrates the special ties that exist in so many areas too between our countries.
Three years ago we came together to commemorate the Treaty of Münster which was concluded three and a half centuries ago. This peace treaty brought to an end a long period of bitter conflicts. It was part of a broad and comprehensive peace process, known as the Peace of Westphalia, that laid the foundations of the modern European state system. The mutual rivalry and division that was brought about by this system, regrettably carved a trail of wars across the modern history of our continent.
After the Second World War, forward-looking statesmen laid the foundations for the united Europe we know today, based on interdependence, common interests and ever closer cooperation. The Treaty of Rome, the Treaty of Maastricht and many other treaties were all steps along the road towards a peaceful, prosperous and integrated Europe. The Netherlands was involved in this process from the outset. Through circumstances well known to all, your country could not take part in the beginning. Fortunately, those impediments later disappeared. Since then, Spain has undergone an impressive social, economic and political transformation. It is now witnessing a period of political stability in which democracy has become self-evident. Your own role in this process of change has been of great - and at certain critical moments - decisive significance. The respect and esteem you enjoy both at home and abroad are also based on this.
Sadly, a grim shadow lies across the achievements of recent decades. Terrorism continues to inflict painful wounds on Spanish society. You may be assured of our support and sympathy in your fight against this evil. In our society there is no place for extremism and terrorism: neither in the peaceful and democratic Europe we envisage, nor elsewhere in the world. Recent shocking events have unmistakeably demonstrated the need for us to join forces in combating this evil.
The modernisation and renewal of Spain covers innumerable fields. Remarkable improvements have been made to the infrastructure, prosperity has grown spectacularly, the economy is flourishing, unemployment has been successfully reduced. Spanish companies are active in Europe and throughout the world. Your country has opened up to other cultures and traditions. Young Spaniards have got to know their contemporaries in other countries. Spanish students can now be found at all the European universities, just as many Dutch and other foreign students are studying in Spain. In doing so, they benefit not only from the high standard of education and science in your country, but they are also becoming acquainted with the Spanish language and culture and enjoying the openness and warmth with which they are welcomed.
Spanish artists are recognized and much appreciated internationally. Your museums are amongst the most important in the world and bear witness not only to the great flowering of Spanish culture in the past but also to the dynamism and vitality of contemporary culture. Spanish architects are famous worldwide. Indeed many of them work in the Netherlands. The fact that they are at present renovating our national pride, the Rijksmuseum, while a Dutch architect is engaged on a prestigious project in Cordoba, is a remarkable illustration of the intense cultural exchanges between our two countries. Spanish literature, music and cinema, are becoming increasingly well-known in the Netherlands. The Instituto Cervantes in Utrecht is a much valued meeting place where a deeper knowledge of Spanish culture can be acquired.
Spanish scholarship and scientific knowledge are also of a very high standard. Your contribution to the European space programme is impressive. Nineteen ninety two - the year in which Columbus' discoveries were commemorated, the Olympic Games were held in Barcelona and the World Exhibition in Seville, and Madrid was proclaimed cultural capital of Europe, showed all the world how much Spain had achieved in such a short space of time.
From the outset, the dominant theme of this successful process of transformation was European cooperation and joining the European community, whose member states for their part extended a warm welcome to Spain. The accession of Spain, which because of its very size, commitment and multiplicity of talents plays an important role, has clearly enriched the EU. At present, the Union faces immense new challenges. The peoples of Central and Eastern Europe have only recently thrown off the yoke of dictatorship. Their prosperity and welfare are still at a very low level, compared to our own. Assisting these countries in their struggle to free themselves of political instability and economic disadvantage is one of the major tasks now confronting the EU. In the light of their accession to the Union, Spain's success can perhaps serve as an example.
In a few months the Euro will come into use. At the same moment, Spain will assume the Presidency of the EU. For the larger member states, this brings greater responsibilities. Your Government is well aware of this, as was clear from its statement that being one of the larger states not only creates rights but also entails obligations. We look forward with great interest to your views on the problems of the near future and to your contribution towards dealing with them. With the accession of the new member states the Union will grow considerably. Yet even this enlarged European community will not stand alone, but form part of a global system. More and more, borders are losing their significance. Migrants travel from one continent to another, just as business and investments extend beyond national frontiers. Through its historical ties with Latin America and its involvement in the Mediterranean region, Spain occupies a special position within Europe. Your country is a 'trait d'union' between Europe and the rich and multifaceted world of South America, and draws attention to its interests and significance. You also maintain close ties with the Arab world. These contacts contributed in times past to the flowering of the arts and sciences in Spain, manifested as early as the twelfth century in cultural centres like Toledo and Cordoba. Even today your country is closely involved in developments in North Africa and is working on important initiatives for closer cooperation with this region, which is literally and figuratively so near to you.
Your Majesty,
Since our countries found themselves at war with one another over four centuries ago, and concluded a peace treaty only eighty years later much has changed. Particularly in recent decades, personal contacts between Spanish and Dutch people have grown considerably. More and more of our compatriots are discovering Spain as a destination: students, tourists, the elderly and in smaller numbers, football players. Not so long ago people wrote and spoke about the Eighty Years' War between our two countries with as much passion as they do today about a football match lasting just over eighty minutes. Rivalry has taken on peaceful forms. Spain and the Netherlands now work together in a Europe that is no longer afflicted by war, but is blessed with peace and prosperity.
May I invite all those present to join me in a toast to your health, Your Majesty, and to that of Queen Sofía, and to a prosperous future for the Spanish people, whose role in the new Europe is so vital.