COMUNICACIÓN

The 9^th International Congress on Relations between Latin America and the Caribbean with Europe Proposes an Alliance between Both Regions to Influence the Global Order (25/03/2026)

The director-general for External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, has called for the creation of an alliance between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe with the aim of influencing the global order and offering an alternative “to fragmentation, unilateralism and closed blocs”.

He made these remarks at the opening of the 9^th International Congress on Relations between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, entitled “The Role of Latin America and Europe in a World at War”, which is being held today at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe.

According to the director-general, an alliance between these two regions “can contribute to food security, sustainable development and international stability”, adding that it may also “represent a space for open cooperation, effective multilateralism and the defence of international law”.

In the face of a time marked by complexity and ongoing conflicts, Hurtado highlighted the need to strengthen institutions, reinforce the independence of public authorities, protect freedom and, above all, “restore citizens’ trust”.

In closing, Hurtado recalled the role Extremadura has played throughout the five centuries of shared history linking Europe and Latin America, noting that the region is a “space of connection between two worlds that have jointly shaped an essential part of global history”. In this regard, he highlighted the work carried out by Yuste Foundation as a forum for reflection, dialogue and consensus-building between both sides of the Atlantic.

Also speaking at the opening of the congress was the director of the Centre for Ibero-American Studies (CEIB) at the Rey Juan Carlos University and director of the congress, Cástor Díaz, who likewise underscored Extremadura’s significant international projection, due in part to the work of Yuste Foundation through its activities, such as this congress, which has been held for several years in Guadalupe, as well as in other countries including Colombia, Guatemala and Peru.

Finally, the guardian and custodian of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, friar Vidal Rodríguez, expressed his hope that the congress would provide “an open, multidisciplinary and constructive reflection” at a time he described as “tense, often cynical and frequently prone to division, rupture and violence”.

More than 200 people have registered to attend, both in person and online, from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, El Salvador, Spain, the Philippines, France, Guatemala, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Uruguay.

 9^th International Congress

The aim of this gathering of experts, professionals, analysts, academics and researchers is to deepen the interaction that has taken place over five centuries between America and Europe, as well as to advance research on migratory flows between these two regions. It also seeks to address the challenges facing both parts of the world and to offer responses to the conflicts and challenges posed by global powers. In addition, participants will analyse the different positions adopted by countries in these two continents from a media perspective.

The congress will feature contributions from the lawyer and former member of the Venezuelan Senate, Antonio Ledezma; the writer Jesús Sánchez Adalid; the colonel in charge of the Defence Culture area at the General Secretariat for Defence Policy, Juan Billón Laá; the analyst at the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, Rocío de los Reyes Ramírez; the full professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Zaragoza, Yolanda Gamarra Chopo; the journalist and political analyst Esther Jaén; and the journalist and correspondent for Cadena Cope, Ángel Expósito.

To conclude the session, young researchers, doctoral candidates and PhD holders will present their papers, addressing topics such as trade relations between the European Union and Latin America in times of war; populism from a historical perspective; mestizaje (cultural and racial mixing) between Extremadura and America; the journey of the writer Camilo José Cela to Cuba in 1965; the work of intelligence services in the European Union and the Caribbean; women’s political leadership in Central America; and the genetic consequences of armed conflicts, among other subjects of interest.

The programme of the 9^th International Congress will conclude with the presentation of the 9^th Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses, endowed with a prize of €3,000, which also includes the publication of the thesis in the Foundation’s book series “Tesis Doctorales”.

The organising committee of the congress is composed of the director of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno; the full professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the Rey Juan Carlos University, Sagrario Morán; the full professor of Public International Law and International Relations and director of CEIB, Cástor Díaz; and the seniorlLecturer in the History of the Americas and head of the Americas Area, as well as vice-president of the Spanish Association of Americanists, Sigfrido Vázquez.

This edition of the congress forms part of the activities of the project “Cooperación UE-ALC en un mundo en transformación: fortalecimiento institucional para la gobernanza global” (EU–LAC Cooperation in a Transforming World: Institutional Strengthening for Global Governance), funded by the Extremaduran Agency for International Development Cooperation (AEXCID). Its aim is to strengthen institutional capacities, bi-regional political dialogue and strategic cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in an international context marked by profound economic, social, technological and geopolitical changes.

This activity falls within the framework of the School of Guadalupe, a knowledge and outreach programme launched by Yuste Foundation to promote reflection and research on History, Law and International Relations. Among its objectives are contributing to academic, social and intellectual development in the region and providing Ibero-American society with useful tools for socio-economic progress, grounded in the historical ties between Ibero-American countries, the current state of those links, and the pursuit of a shared future.