The Spanish Senate’s decision to host the 6th Transatlantic Summit, organized by the Political Network for Values (PNfV), ignited heated debates and backlash.
The PNfV, a Conservative coalition linking right-wing politicians and activists from across Europe, the Americas, and Africa, aims to promote and discuss strategies for embedding their values into global agendas.
This annual summit, held in different locations each year, previously convened at the United Nations in New York in 2023. The Madrid event, held on December 2, sparked outrage, particularly among leftist groups, who openly called for a boycott and staged demonstrations near the Senate. Protesters chanted slogans like “We give birth, we decide” and “Rosaries out of our ovaries,” directly opposing the summit’s pro-life stance. Despite the demonstrations, a police security cordon prevented major incidents.
Some Spanish senators from the far-left Podemos party reportedly threatened to protest inside the Senate, though none followed through.
The summit received backing from several international Conservative organizations, including The Heritage Foundation, Family Research Council, and Fundación Neos. High-profile attendees included U.S. Congressman Andy Harris, Colombian Senator Paola Holguín, Hungarian deputy state secretary Márton Ugrósdy, and European Parliament members from Hungary, Croatia, France, Italy, Spain, and Romania. Local figures like Ignacio Garriga, secretary-general of Spain’s Vox party, were also present.
Speakers at the event passionately defended traditional values. Jaime Mayor Oreja, former Spanish interior minister and honorary president of PNfV Spain, delivered a powerful pro-life message: “We must not fear. Even though prevailing trends attack us, we are winning the cultural battle by defending a Christian anthropology of the human being.”
Outgoing PNfV president José Antonio Kast, founder of Chile’s Republican Party, hailed the summit’s success despite attempts to cancel it. “They fear us because we are irreducible. We will never falter in defending these values, whether in Spain, Hungary, Colombia, Chile, or any country represented here. This network continues to grow and expand its influence,” Kast asserted.
Ignacio Garriga criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s administration, branding it a “criminal gang” for promoting policies such as abortion and euthanasia.
The event concluded with a leadership change within the PNfV. Croatian MEP Stephen Bartulica, an academic and founder of the Zagreb-based Centre for Renewal of Culture, took over as president. Pledging to build on Kast’s legacy, Bartulica emphasized, “Kast’s leadership has been crucial in creating effective synergies. Now, we will move forward to amplify our agenda on the international stage.”
Despite controversy and opposition, the summit reaffirmed the PNfV’s commitment to spreading Conservative values worldwide.
