On June 11, on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the signing of Spain's Treaty of Accession to the European Union, el Círculo de Bellas Artes It hosts a round table discussion on how European integration has transformed the cultural landscape in Spain and Europe. Four decades after that historic moment, it is time to take stock of a relationship that has redefined identities, created new spaces for exchange, and posed unprecedented challenges.

What has Spain contributed to European culture over the past 40 years? And what has European influence meant for our country? Have we managed to build a truly transnational culture, or do we continue to operate in isolated national compartments that barely communicate with each other? These questions take on particular relevance at a time when Europe is facing internal tensions and external pressures that are testing its project.

The conversation will explore both extraordinary achievements and current challenges: growing threats to freedom of expression, the risks of a Eurocentric vision that ignores its contradictions, and the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence on cultural creation and distribution raise urgent questions about the future of culture in Europe.

Participating in this round table are: Irene Escolar, actress; Patricia Martínez, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the Autonomous University of Madrid and President of the Conference of Deans of Arts and Humanities of Spain; Rocío Nogales Muriel, member of the Board of Directors of Culture Action Europe; and Manuel Vilas, writer. The event will be presented by Valerio Rocco Lozano, director ofel Círculo de Bellas Artes -Casa Europa, and moderated by Jara Díaz Alberola, coordinator of international projects at el Círculo de Bellas Artes-Casa Europa.

For the past two decades, el Círculo de Bellas Artes acts as Casa Europa In Madrid, a pioneering space for debate and cultural exchange with a European perspective. Our purpose is to be a meeting point for civil society that transcends the traditional limits of academic and political discourse. Casa Europa It is a commitment to dialogue, transnational culture, diversity, freedom of expression and the continuous construction of what it means to be European in the 21st century

This activity is part of the Celebration of 50 years of freedom in Spain, a milestone, the transition from dictatorship to democracy, without which integration into Europe would not have been possible.