King Felipe VI has presented the Carlos V European Award to the president of the European Committee of the Regions, Kata Tüttő, during a solemn ceremony organised by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste. Once again, this State event has reaffirmed Extremadura as a focal point for European integration. (27/05/2026)

During his address, the King stressed that the European Committee of the Regions “must continue to be a meeting point among Europeans, born of the recognition and affirmation of diversity through its authentic guarantee, which lies in the democratic constitutions of the Member States within the framework of a united Europe”, he said.

For her part, the president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, argued in her speech that Europe “is built on courage and on words” and underlined that local administrations represent the foundation upon which the European Union rests.

“The idea of Europe reminds us of a child holding a balloon, preventing it from slipping away and disappearing into the sky. That hand holding the string, that seemingly small but constant force, is made up of municipalities and regions”, she said.

President Guardiola also highlighted the work carried out by the European Committee of the Regions as the institution responsible for bringing the voice of territories to the heart of the EU institutions, and stated that its work demonstrates that “cities and regions are not the outskirts of the European project, but a decisive part of its strength”.

For her part, the president of the CoR emphasised the significance of this award, which she believes comes at the right time because it recognises the essential role of local and regional leaders as a “living resilience network of the European Union (…) and as a key factor in ensuring the participation of cities and regions in the European Union’s decision-making process”. In this regard, she called for the protection and strengthening of local and regional structures so that Europe remains strong, democratic and united.

Before the nearly 200 guests attending the ceremony, Kata Tüttő defended a human, understanding and close Europe, built from the bottom up, through cooperation between States, regions and municipalities. “Only in this way will we be able to face the challenges ahead”, she said.

During the presentation ceremony of the Carlos V European Award, former minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and former Member of the European Parliament, José Manuel García-Margallo, delivered the laudatio. In his address, he stated that Europe remains firmly committed to multilateralism, although, in his view, this is no longer sufficient to keep us safe from the threats that surround us. He therefore proposed “building new forms of cooperation with our partners, such as the United States of Europe”.

 Award Ceremony

The ceremony was attended by the executive vice-president for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition of the European Commission, Teresa Ribera; the president of the Supreme Court of Spain and of the General Council of the Judiciary, Isabel Perelló Doménech; the minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Government of Spain, José Manuel Albares; and the secretary of State for the European Union, Fernando Mariano Sampedro Marcos.

The award ceremony was also attended by diplomatic representatives from European embassies and from Ibero-America.

It is worth noting that the Carlos V European Award celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2025, having been awarded for the first time to Jacques Delors on 6 June 1995. The European Committee of the Regions is the third institution to receive it, after the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe in 2019, and the European Disability Forum in 2022.

The jury, chaired by the president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, highlighted “its contribution to integrating Europe’s cities and regions into the common project, enabling citizens to raise their everyday concerns and issues to the EU institutions, thereby ensuring that European Union legislation incorporates the territorial dimension and respects the principle of subsidiarity”.

In the view of the members of the jury, in times of complexity and polarisation, the Committee of the Regions “has promoted balance, attentive listening, and multi-level and cross-border cooperation. It has also demonstrated that cooperation and territorial diversity are strengths that make Europe fairer, more realistic, and more resilient. Its actions embody the unity in diversity that underpins European integration and guarantee that Europe is also built from its regions and cities”.

The ceremony of the 19^th Carlos V European Award is held with the collaboration of the Regional Government of Extremadura and Patrimonio Nacional. It also enjoys the institutional support of the European Parliament, and the backing of Alimentos de Extremadura, Extremadura Avante, Iberdrola, Telefónica, and Canal Extremadura, which broadcast the event via streaming and satellite.

European Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union institution that, for more than three decades, has ensured the structural participation of territories and citizens in the building of the European project. Created by the Maastricht Treaty, the CoR was established with the aim of integrating the local and regional dimension into the EU decision-making process, thereby contributing to a more democratic, cohesive and citizen-oriented Europe.

Following the commemoration of its 30^th anniversary in 2025, the European Committee of the Regions today represents the outcome of a consolidated institutional trajectory, marked by a continuous and growing contribution to the European integration process. Over these three decades, the CoR has established itself as the main institutional forum representing regional and local authorities in the European Union, ensuring that European policies incorporate a realistic, plural territorial perspective based on the direct experience of those who govern and manage territories on the ground.

Carlos V European Award

With this award, Yuste Foundation seeks to recognise the work of individuals, organisations, projects or initiatives that have contributed to the general knowledge and strengthening of Europe’s cultural, social, scientific and historical values, as well as to the process of European construction and integration.

The individuals and initiatives awarded to date are: Jacques Delors (1995); Wilfried Martens (1998); Felipe González (2000); Mikhail Gorbachev (2002); Jorge Sampaio (2004); Helmut Kohl (2006); Simone Veil (2008); Javier Solana (2011); José Manuel Durão Barroso (2014); Sofia Corradi (2016); Marcelino Oreja Aguirre (2017); Antonio Tajani (2018); the project “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe” (2019); Angela Merkel (2021); the European Disability Forum (2022); António Guterres (2023); Mario Draghi (2024); and Josep Borrell (2025).

The European and Ibero-American Academy of  Yuste Foundation, in collaboration with the Iberian Film Festival of Badajoz, has opened the application period to join the Young Jury for the festival’s 32^nd edition. (20/05/2026) 

This initiative aims to encourage the active participation of young people in the audiovisual and film sector.

The call is open to young people aged between 18 and 30 residing in Extremadura.

The selected jury will be responsible for awarding the ‘Luis Alcoriza’ Prize for best short film in the festival’s official section, which will take place from 6 to 10 July 2026 in the towns of Badajoz, Olivenza and San Vicente de Alcántara.

Conditions and registration:

Registration: Available from 20 May to 15 June 2026 through the official form at www.festivaldecine.com

Selection process: Applicants will take a basic film analysis test organised by the festival.

Responsibilities and benefits: Selected participants must attend all official competition screenings. They will receive free access to all festival activities and an official certificate accrediting their status as members of the 2026 Young Jury.

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.

The 4^th Course on Agrarian and Livestock Law Establishes Itself as a Multidisciplinary Encounter to Address the Challenges of the Primary Sector (11/3/2026)

Around seventy judges and magistrates, legal scholars, notaries and registrars from across Spain will gather on 11 and 12 March at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe to participate in the 4^th Course on Agrarian and Livestock Law, held under the agreement signed between the General Council of the Judiciary and Yuste Foundation.

At the course inauguration, the secretary-general for Equality and Work–Life Balance of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María del Ara Sánchez, took part, stating that these sessions “have become a space for dialogue and reflection between the legal world and the primary sector”. In this regard, she highlighted the countryside as a fundamental economic activity and a way of life that “shapes the identity of our communities and plays a key role in the social and environmental balance of rural areas”.

For María del Ara Sánchez, agricultural and livestock law ensures legal certainty, sustainability, and development in rural areas, adding that thanks to its constant evolution, it allows challenges to be addressed in a cross-cutting manner, such as “the situation of women in these traditionally male-dominated rural sectors”.

In Spain, nearly 29% of farms are managed by women, a figure that has remained stable in recent years, “confirming a sustained trend with considerable potential for growth”, the secretary-general stated. In Extremadura, this evolution is particularly evident in education, as in the four Rural Training Centres, 30.24% of enrolled students are women (114 female students out of a total of 377).

To conclude, María del Ara Sánchez acknowledged that Extremadura’s agricultural sector is moving towards a more diverse model, in which women play a more prominent role, “taking firm steps to embark on ventures in the sector”.

The inaugural event also featured a speech by Inés Herreros, territorial representative of the General Council of the Judiciary, who noted that this course encourages the analysis and debate of innovative and controversial issues specific to the territorial context in which it is held. In this regard, she emphasised the rural world and respect for the environment “as the only way to ensure the sustainable well-being of future generations”.

The guardian and custodian of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, friar Vidal Rodríguez López, stated that the course addresses the necessity of law as “the network that binds laws and duties in safeguarding creation, shaping societies, and humanising individuals”.

To close the inaugural session, the president of the High Court of Justice of Extremadura, María Félix Tena Aragón, spoke very positively of the “institutional loyalty” of the gathering, which brings together a range of professional and social institutions, including notaries, registrars, and legal advisers of the Regional Government of Extremadura, among others. In this context, Tena Aragón emphasised, “In Extremadura we are few, and if we do not work together, we will achieve nothing”.

Tena Aragón took the opportunity to announce that one of the topics to be addressed in the next edition will be the challenge of energy and the transformation of rural areas.

The course, part of the national training plan of the General Council of the Judiciary, examines agricultural and livestock law from Ibero-American, European, and regional perspectives. Among the speakers are the vice president of the Supreme Court and judge of the Contentious-Administrative Chamber, Dimitry Berberoff Ayuda; the chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Ana Peláez Narváez; the Chilean doctor of law Francisca María Barrientos Camus; and the deputy director-general at the European Union’s Directorate-General for Agriculture, Diego Canga Fano.

This year, following the devastating wildfires that swept through Extremadura last summer, destroying over 50,000 hectares, a roundtable has been included to discuss the legal implications of such disasters, featuring David Jorge Vegas, head of service at Infoex. The course will also examine the situation of people with disabilities in rural areas, with particular focus on women. In addition, attention will be given to the challenges posed by innovation in food engineering and the distribution of agricultural and livestock products, with a session including Matilde García Duarte, president of the National Association of Large Distribution Companies.

The legal implications of bullfighting will also be debated in a roundtable featuring José Luque Teruel, president of the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (Royal Cavalry Armory of Seville) and magistrate, and livestock breeder Victorino Martín, moderated by CGPJ member José Antonio Montero Fernández.

The course is co-directed by Rafael Estévez Benito, president of the Court of First Instance of Cáceres, and Juan Carlos Moreno Piñero, director of Yuste Foundation. It also has the support of the Notarial Association of Extremadura and the College of Property, Commercial, and Movable Property Registrars of Spain.