The president of the Fundació Catalunya Europa, Airy Maragall, talks with the journalist Lluis Falgàs of the "Aquí parlem" program of RTVE Catalunya, about the objectives and projects of the foundation, while reviewing the Catalan news , Spanish and international.

Airy Maragall invites us to reflect on what model of Europe we want, especially in relation to issues such as the management of immigration, which he believes puts us Europeans in the mirror. He says that "citizens must shape European political construction" and calls for a strengthening of the European project to put it at the forefront and with its own voice in international conflicts. In this respect, it wants to see a Europe with clearer positions and with greater weight in world decisions: "Europe must be politically ambitious".

Airy Maragall also comments on the latest developments in the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine. In this sense, it is obvious to condemn the attack of October 7 by Hamas, but also the disproportionate response of Israel that is causing thousands of deaths. Therefore, he believes that the priority right now is to achieve a ceasefire because "without that we cannot move forward".

Furthermore, it regrets that cities lack governance instruments to act in international conflicts and to deal with situations such as the one unleashed in Gaza. For this reason, he recalls that "the Europe of the States and cities are complementary" and claims the importance of local politics because "proximity is the key to social policies" and is what allows mayors to address day-to-day problems.

"Proximity is the key to social policies".

It is one of the most important aspects of the legacy of his father, Pasqual Maragall, who was mayor of Barcelona between 1982 and 1997, and often explained that "cities are their people". Her daughter admits that it is impossible to know what he would say today about the domestic and international political situation, but she is sure that "he would not be silent" and that he would be playing an "active role, working to promote dialogue and strengthen democratic quality", to approach positions and seek ways to resolve conflicts.

The president of the Catalunya Europa Foundation was also convinced that, at the gates of a possible amnesty law, we are facing "a new political stage that I hope will serve to establish a constructive dialogue and concern for welfare and social rights".