Benidorm defends the values ​​of peace and solidarity as fundamental pillars on Europe Day

Benidorm City Council celebrated Europe Day today with an institutional plenary session in which the city's mayor, Toni Pérez, championed the values ​​of peace and solidarity as the "cornerstone of the joint project that Europe represents," values ​​"that can only be realized through economic and social development and environmental and regional balance, the only mechanisms that we still consider essential to guarantee an equitable standard of living for all citizens." The plenary session also served to recognise the work of businessman Enrique Ballester Chofre, supported by family and friends. The plenary session unanimously agreed to award him the "Europe 2025 Distinction" for being a "model of integrity and service to the community."

The institutional plenary session was chaired by the city's mayor, Toni Pérez, and also included the participation of the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón. Virtually all of the city council's council members were also present, including José Ramón González de Zárate, the regional deputy; his colleagues in Les Corts, Manuel Pérez Fenoll and Mario Villar; the delegate of the Consell in Alicante, Agustina Esteve; the Director General of Family, Children and Adolescents, and the Demographic Challenge, Angélica Such; former mayor Rafael Ferrer Meliá; commanders of the State Security Forces and Corps, such as the local commissioner of the National Police, Luis Manuel Sánchez; the Chief Superintendent of the Local Police, Luis Martín Arévalo; and members of the Civil Guard detachment; as well as representatives of numerous economic, business, academic, cultural, festive, and neighborhood entities and groups.

In his institutional speech, the mayor referred to the Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundations of the European Union, to assert that "although imperfections remain 75 years later, there is certainty that only the union of the peoples can guarantee Europe control of its destiny and its influence throughout the world."

Toni Pérez recalled the 700th anniversary of the founding of Benidorm, which was commemorated yesterday, and also referred to the role that the city once played in the unity of Europe, even before belonging to the union, as the venue for the 1st European Week in August 1964, held in Benidorm, by its City Council and the European Documentation Centre, and where "Sir John Rodgers, Georg van Gaupp and Gustaf Anners led the work that would later be defended in European sessions by Otto von Habsburg, so closely linked to our city, leading to the signing, in April 1965, of the Brussels Treaty that merged the three entities." “After the treaty,” he continued, “in January 1966, Ingrid Bickman, from Helmut Kohl's German CDU, arrived in Benidorm within the framework of the 2nd European Week to coordinate the future assessment work that a group of prominent Europeans carried out here in Benidorm based on the reality already achieved. As you can see, even then, Benidorm was attentive and willing to contribute to a full and resounding European unity in its commitment to peace and solidarity.”

The mayor also recalled that “the European Union is much more than a union of interests” and referred to concepts such as diversity, respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights as values ​​that must be safeguarded. “That is why it is extremely painful that the vile aggression against the integrity of Ukraine continues. And it is very painful that the aggressor, Russia, on whose territory the Ural Mountains are located, the geographical and natural, but also real, dividing line between Europe and Asia, continues its stubborn assault on democracy, and it is also painful to see its inability to stop the daily attacks on lives, territory, and property,” he lamented.

He also called for peace, solidarity, progress, cohesion, and respect for diversity in the face of the “difficult challenges we face: maintaining unity amid geopolitical tensions, improving economic competitiveness, ensuring our defence, and dealing with political uncertainty in key member states.”

The mayor concluded his speech by recalling that Benidorm is "the benchmark as a Green Pioneer of Smart Tourism" in 2025 and praising the figure of Enrique Ballester Chofre, whom he described as "an example of integration and service to the community, who from Benidorm has radiated the values ​​he holds dear and which he has been able to transfer to his family and put into practice in our city."

"With a restless, entrepreneurial, competitive, altruistic, and caring character, where his commitment to social causes has prevailed above all else," Toni Pérez recalled his role as an entrepreneur, but also his deep connection to the world of festivals and as the driving force and founder of two important social institutions: in 1971, the Doble Amor Association and its care center, "so that people with intellectual disabilities can enjoy and be guaranteed all their rights"; and in 1993, the Benidorm Rotary Club.

“His work is a compendium of values ​​like those that have forged Europe, and on a day like today, the 75th anniversary of the Schumann Declaration, Benidorm celebrates them as a symbol of the strength and future of its people, which is why he has been awarded this Distinction,” he concluded.

For his part, deeply moved and with the entire audience gathered on both floors of the plenary hall standing, Enrique Ballester Chofre expressed his gratitude for this recognition and stated, “Benidorm always gives back more than it is given.” One day after his 82nd birthday, coinciding with the city's 700th anniversary, the honoree offered a moving tribute to his parents, Enrique and María; his wife, children, and grandchildren; and his friends.

He also recalled the "silent war" he experienced as a young man in his native Algeria, "and the brutality of terrorism and exile," which forced them to emigrate to Paris and, from there, to Spain, finally settling in Benidorm 60 years ago, coinciding with the years of tourism and urban development expansion.

Enrique Ballester reviewed the "great adventure" of launching Doble Amor; his involvement in the festivals, as president and mayor of several committees and also as the founder of one of the first peñas, Los Fenicios, and promoting celebrations such as Carnival and his role as a builder and entrepreneur in sectors such as the automotive, nautical, and hospitality industries.

“I am fortunate because, in the lottery of life, I was chosen for Benidorm,” he stated, a city he described as “the fruit of an illusion, a collective dream, to whose greatness we have all contributed.” He added that the city is unique “not for its tall skyscrapers, but for the drive and determination of its people.”

The President of the Generalitat (Regional government), Carlos Mazón, also spoke about Enrique Ballester and Benidorm, “I can't think of a better place in the Valencian Community or in Spain to celebrate Europe Day than here, in Benidorm,” he stated, adding that the city was “one of the first gateways through which Europe entered Spain,” the world's first certified smart tourism destination, and this year, also a Green Pioneer for Smart Tourism by the EU.

He also described Enrique Ballester Chofre as “a man of honour” and highlighted his contribution “in creating jobs and helping Benidorm become the city it is today.”

Minutes before the plenary session, the President of the Generalitat (Generalitat) greeted representatives of the education inspectors' union (USIE Este), who are holding a conference in the city these days, and signed Benidorm's guestbook in the Mayor's office.

Biographical data of the honoree

He was born on May 8, 1943, in Algiers, French Algeria, where his family had settled years earlier after completing a migration process common at the time. The son of Enrique Ballester Berenguer, from Villena, and María Chofre Arlandis, from El Verger, his childhood and adolescence were spent in Algiers, where he lived until the end of June 1962, amid the country's decolonisation process following the War of Independence. The Ballester Chofre family, like a million other Europeans, left Algeria for Marseille, and from there to Paris, where Enrique enrolled at the School of Commerce.

After graduating and completing his first professional jobs in 1965, he moved to Benidorm, joining the real estate business his father had started shortly before, in the wake of the city's tourism and urban development. He would build several iconic developments and buildings from the second half of the 1960s, such as the Ensenada, Rincón Español, Odeman, Ílice, Copacabana, and Flecha complexes. Over the years, Enrique Ballester Chofre diversified his professional activity, expanding into other business sectors such as the automotive, nautical, restaurant, and leisure industries, creating more than a hundred jobs in Benidorm.

On a personal level, Enrique Ballester Chofre has raised and seen his family grow in the city, instilling in his four children and four grandchildren the love for Benidorm that he has demonstrated since making the municipality his home 60 years ago. During this time, he has always stood out for his altruistic nature and commitment to social causes, highlighting his involvement with the Doble Amor Center and the promotion of community-interest and impact initiatives through the Rotary Club, an organization of which he was founding president in 1994 and which he led again from 2014 to 2015. He has also been instrumental in Benidorm's social and festive life, serving as a member of the Fiestas Commission on several occasions and as the president of the Fiestas Commission in 1987.

However, the proposal for the award of this "Europe 2025 Distinction," unanimously approved by the full session of the municipal council, states that "since arriving in the city six decades ago, Enrique Ballester Chofre has made Benidorm his home, his home, being a true example of integration and service to the community," reasons that make him worthy of this recognition.