With the Bay of Santander as a backdrop, the city hosted the Spain–United States Forum for the first time, celebrating its twenty-eighth edition with a comprehensive program of sessions focused on three major shared challenges: artificial intelligence, energy efficiency, and sustainable transport infrastructure. Organized by the Fundación Consejo España – EE. UU. and the United States – Spain Council, the event brought together over one hundred public and private sector leaders from both countries with the goal of strengthening bilateral ties and jointly addressing global challenges.

The Forum was inaugurated with a dinner presided over by H.M. King Felipe VI at the Gran Casino de Santander, where the monarch highlighted the strength of the transatlantic relationship and the role of this gathering as a privileged space for strategic dialogue. The evening also provided an ideal setting to celebrate the Fourth of July with the American guests, who were warmly honored on this special day with a rendition of their national anthem and a fireworks display.

The Palacio de la Magdalena provided the perfect setting for the welcome reception, where the Mayor of Santander, Gema Igual, greeted the participants. The Centro Botín hosted the various working sessions, which featured prominent government officials and senior executives from leading companies in both countries.

Josu Jon Imaz, President of the Fundación Consejo España – EE. UU., and Senator Ben Ray Luján, Honorary Chairman of the United States – Spain Council, emphasized the value of the Forum as a tool for cooperation and shared commitment in the face of global challenges.

The Forum was supported at the institutional level by the Ambassador of Spain to the United States, Ángeles Moreno Bau, and the Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the U.S. Embassy in Spain and Andorra, Rian Harris, who reaffirmed both nations’ commitment to a shared agenda based on sustainability, innovation, and inclusion.