Spain's transatlantic ties offer blueprint for EU soft power

Spanish actor and cultural promoter Federico Gallardo, whose career spans Spain, Mexico and the United States, is urging the European Union to reclassify its cultural industries, universities, and heritage as strategic infrastructure. Through his initiative, the Archivo Indiano de Identidades Transatlánticas, Gallardo argues that Europe's future global influence depends on its ability to convert complex historical legacies into practical economic and diplomatic cooperation.

Gallardo highlights Spain’s transatlantic ties with Latin America as a critical, underutilised asset for the continent. Spain has historically been viewed as a geographical and cultural paradox: "too European for America and too American for Europe." However, Gallardo contends that this discomfort is actually a distinct advantage. Spain's Atlantic dimension should not be treated as an exception to its Europeanness, but rather as a vital contribution to the EU's common foreign policy.

Translating this history into actionable policy means investing heavily in shared infrastructure. Gallardo points to education, heritage preservation, universities, and cultural industries as the necessary vehicles for real cooperation with Latin America. In a fragmented global landscape, he notes, power and influence are no longer measured exclusively by military or economic might. Trust, legitimacy, and the capacity to connect have become equally critical metrics.

From a business and public policy perspective, this framing demands a structural shift. Culture can no longer occupy a merely decorative place in the European project. If the EU is to project itself effectively and remain recognisable beyond its borders, the creative industries and cultural diplomacy must be treated as core economic drivers.

Each regional experience—whether Atlantic, Mediterranean, Central European, Baltic, or Balkan—must cease to be viewed as the exclusive heritage of a single state. Instead, these diverse histories must operate as shared resources for the entire bloc. The EU's long-standing formula of "unity in diversity" must evolve from a pleasant slogan into a concrete political and economic task.

This logic also addresses one of Europe’s most pressing domestic challenges: integration. Gallardo warns that new arrivals cannot successfully integrate into a political project that lacks the capacity to explain itself. Before demanding assimilation, Europe must offer a common narrative that is clear enough to be understood, yet broad enough to be lived in.

Achieving this requires a mature political outlook that avoids the sterile extremes of nostalgia and guilt. By looking its history in the eye, Europe can turn memory into responsibility, knowledge, and a shared economic and cultural promise.