The Universidad Europea Academic Council, at the request of the School of Social Sciences and Communication, has granted Honorary PhDs to José Pedro Pérez-Llorca and Miquel Roca, two of the Fathers of the Constitution. The event –was attended by the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport Íñigo Méndez de Vigo–, and highlighted the decisive contribution of the PhD recipients to drafting the constitutional text for the freedom and welfare of Spaniards. During their speeches, both advocated the value of the 1978 Constitution, which set the foundations for the social and democratic state of law.
Miquel Roca, a member of Parliament between 1977 and 1995 and spokesman for Grupo Catalán during various terms of office in the Congress recalled that the Constitution “is a legacy which protects us all, especially the young”. He also highlighted that it is “the first endorsed constitution that has lasted so long” and, although “today there are conflicts that put it to the test”, he insisted that “the Constitution prevails and will prevail as the only guarantee of democratic change”. Meanwhile, eminent legal practitioner and chairman of the Royal Board of the National Museum of El Prado, José Pedro Pérez-Llorca, defended that “the foundation of the Constitution was a clear social consensus towards a solution, which had to be expressed without details, but generally sensed”. Mr Pérez-Llorca stated that “we were mere scribes of the will of the people”.
The ceremony citation address was given by Cristina Garmendia, former Minister of Science and Innovation and member of the Academic Council of Universidad Europea, who stressed that “there were seven Fathers of the Constitution who planted the seed that has enabled us to progress as a country”. She highlighted that “we are all responsible for maintaining its spirit” and that “we all agree that as democrats we must always seek union”. Universidad Europea de Madrid Rector Juan Morote inaugurated the investiture and reminded the guests of the reasons such a great distinction is awarded. During his speech he insisted that the collective success of the 1978 Constitution would not have been possible without the commitment of such great politicians as José Pedro Pérez-Llorca and Miquel Roca. “Their trajectory and the impact of their work on the society we live in is an example”, he insisted, as “they were capable of putting the interests of the country before their own”.
In addition to the Minister of Education, Culture and Sport (MECD), the ceremony was attended by the Ambassador for Cyprus Koula Sophianou; former President of the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court Pascual Sala; Deputy Director General for Universities of the Autonomous Region of Madrid Carmen García Galán; and Leonardo Caruana de las Cagigas, Deputy Director General for University Coordination and Monitoring of the MECD. Other guests at the academic event included the Mayor of Villaviciosa de Odón José Jover; representatives from Alcobendas Council, and from the business sector.