King Felipe of Spain received an honorary doctorate from the University of Coimbra on Wednesday.
He was welcomed by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, and the Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amilcar Falcão. He was greeted by students of the university with academic tradition, who formed an avenue by spreading their gowns on the ground.
The King was then invited to deliver a speech in which he said: “The Union is a house built on consensus and solidarity. Its pillars are solid because they are not made to exclude or separate, but are based on the freedom and equality of its citizens.”
After his speech, the king received the insignia of a doctor, which consists of a cap, a ring and a book. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in law. The national anthems of Spain, Italy and Portugal were then played, after which the group moved to the Senate Hall, where the king was presented with his diploma.
Felipe VI will receive this award 36 years after his father, Juan Carlos I, who was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra in May 1989.
The meeting between Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Felipe VI and Sergio Mattarella is taking place on the occasion of the 18th Cotec Europe summit, during the official election campaign ahead of the early legislative elections to be held on Sunday in Portugal.
On Wednesday in Coimbra, the heads of state of Portugal, Spain and Italy will speak at the closing session of the 18th Cotec Europe Summit, which will also be attended by former European Central Bank (ECB) President and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in a discussion on the future of Europe.
Cotec Europe Summits are held annually on a rotating basis in Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa regularly participates in these meetings alongside the heads of state of Spain and Italy, but cancelled his participation in the previous meeting, held in Las Palmas last September, due to fires in Portugal.
