Speaker Franz Vranitzky on the Charlemagne Prize:

‘The new Europe cannot trap itself in regional complacency and Felipe González is an exceptional guarantor that the Community won’t forget to look beyond its own borders. It is to his credit that he furthered the bridge between Europe and Latin America again and again; and it is to his credit that he anchored the important role of Maghreb for the stability of our continent in the political consciousness of Europeans.’