COMUNICACIÓN

The course “40 Years Since Spain Joined the European Economic Community” was inaugurated today at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste, with the participation of the director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno; the mayor of Cuacos de Yuste and member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, José María Hernández; the president of the Extremaduran Council of the European Movement and co-director of the course, Jaime Rossell; and Jesús Conde, deputy to the vice-rectorate for University Extension at the University of Extremadura. (2/07/2025)

This training activity forms part of the Campus Yuste educational programme run by the Foundation and is included in the 26th edition of the University of Extremadura’s International Summer/Autumn Courses.

Following a welcome by the director of Yuste Foundation, the president of the Extremaduran Council of the European Movement explained that the course will analyse and reflect on the impact of Spain’s accession to the EEC; the major transformations that have taken place; the challenges the country has faced; and the ongoing issues in the process of European integration.

In his address, Rossell gave an overview of the history of the European Union. He referred to several key milestones in the European integration process, including the 1948 meeting of the Coordination Committee of Movements for the Unity of Europe, during which many of the core European values were established, among them peace, freedom, shared sovereignty, and liberal democracy.

Next, the president of the CEXME recalled that it was not until the application submitted by Adolfo Suárez’s government in 1977 that the Commission, in 1978, approved the opening of accession negotiations, culminating in the signing of the Accession Act on 12th June 1985 by the prime minister, Felipe González.

For his part, Jesús Conde, deputy to the vice-rectorate for University Extension at the University of Extremadura, highlighted the valuable work carried out by Yuste Foundation in organising and hosting the University of Extremadura’s summer and autumn courses.

With regard to the course, he praised the panel of experts, drawn from the worlds of academia, politics, diplomacy, business, trade unionism and journalism, “many of whom have been key figures in the path Spain has followed over the past forty years”, he said.

To conclude, Conde underlined the importance of the summer/autumn courses, as they “serve as a vehicle for the transmission of knowledge to the university community, but also to society at large”.

The grant recipients and online participants come from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico and Nicaragua. In addition, Yuste Foundation offers the option to follow the courses online. To do so, participants must register via the following form: https://forms.gle/iJuoxzgy9SVAxVsv9