With the aim of contributing to the promotion of democracy, respect for human rights, peace and international harmony, the Ministry of Defence, the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, and the University of Extremadura have organised the “Security and Defence Sessions. 21st Century. The Era of Global Uncertainty?”, held on 15 and 16 April in the Plenary Hall of the Provincial Council of Badajoz. (16/04/2026)

More than 160 people registered for these sessions, attending both in person and online from Germany, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Guatemala, Israel, Mexico, Paraguay, and Sweden.

The opening session featured the director-general for External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, who underscored Extremadura’s European and Ibero-American identity as a means of having “a voice of its own” in the face of global uncertainty in the 21^st century. In his view, it is precisely this dual identity that should enable Extremadura to help “build bridges, foster mutual understanding, and promote a shared vision of security based on cooperation, development, and democratic values,” he said.

In his remarks, Hurtado highlighted the value of the institutional cooperation that made these sessions possible, placing particular emphasis on the work of Yuste Foundation as a leading forum for analysis and for its “ability to forge strong and lasting partnerships”.

Over the course of two days, military personnel and experts analysed the current global geopolitical context, with particular emphasis on the European and Ibero-American strategy. They also reflected on the role of law in the transformation of the international order, on the importance of security in the face of current challenges, and brought into focus the role of the Sahel as a frontier between Europe and Africa.

These issues were addressed by the Spanish ambassador Francisco Javier Rupérez; Portugal’s minister of National Defence (2015–2018), José Alberto Azeredo; professor of Public International Law and International Relations, Cástor Díaz; brigadier general of Infantry and director-general of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies (IEES), Francisco José Dacoba; army colonel and analyst at the IEES, Pedro Sánchez; and associate professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Extremadura, Juan Manuel Rodríguez.

These institutions have been working together for several years in organising academic activities, among which these sessions, focused geographically on Europe and Ibero-America, are of particular importance.

Accordingly, Yuste Foundation places this activity within the framework of the School of Guadalupe, a free and open centre for reflection and research on history, law, and international relations.

For its part, the Ministry of Defence promotes the development of a culture of security and defence with the aim of ensuring that Spanish society understands, values, and identifies with its history and with the effective and collective efforts through which the Armed Forces safeguard national interests.

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation is offering a total of 105 grants with the aim of covering tuition fees as well as accommodation and subsistence costs for participants in the Campus Yuste summer courses, which form part of the 27th edition of the International Summer–Autumn Courses of the University of Extremadura. The grants will be awarded through a competitive selection process. (15/04/2026)

The courses are as follows: “The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy in the Face of Global (Dis)Order”, which will take place from 1 to 3 July; “European Union–Latin America and the Caribbean Relations: Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing World”, to be held from 8 to 10 July; and finally, “Marriage, Empire and Diplomacy: The Dynastic Policy of the Habsburgs (15th-17th Centuries)”, which will take place from 15 to 17 July. All of them will be held at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste.

Those eligible to benefit from the grants set out in this call are individuals who, by the closing date for applications, hold the nationality of a Member State of the European Union, as well as nationals of third countries, provided they can demonstrate resident status in one of the countries eligible within the European Union prior to the publication of this call. In addition, applicants must be enrolled in official degree programmes at universities within the European Union. Applications will also be accepted from individuals who have obtained their degree within the five years preceding the publication of this call and who are currently unemployed or hold a valid traineeship contract.

Applications, together with the required documentation, may be submitted until 15 May electronically by completing the form available at the following link: https://www.fundacionyuste.org/en/becas/

Any queries or requests for further information may be addressed to: campusyuste@fundacionyuste.org

The maximum period for issuing and notifying the decision of the procedure will be three months from the day following the deadline for submitting applications. If no decision has been communicated within this period, the application may be deemed to have been rejected. The outcome of the procedure will be notified individually to each applicant.

Campus Yuste is organised and sponsored by Yuste Foundation, with the collaboration of the Regional Government of Extremadura, the University of Extremadura, the Provincial Council of Cáceres, the Provincial Council of Badajoz, Mafresa, Patrimonio Nacional, and the European Routes of Emperor Charles V.

Campus Yuste

It is a training programme run by Yuste Foundation, designed as a space for meeting, debate and reflection among university students, researchers, academics and internationally renowned figures in a shared living environment.

The course topics focus on the challenges facing the European Union; relations between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean; and the era of Emperor Charles V.

The courses are held at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste, a site awarded the European Heritage Label by the European Commission in 2023 in recognition of its significance in Europe’s collective memory, as it was the final retreat of Emperor Charles V and a symbol of European unity and integration. It is currently a historic site managed by Patrimonio Nacional.

The acting president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, has announced that the 19th edition of the Carlos V European Award, granted by Yuste Foundation, has been awarded to the European Committee of the Regions, an institution of the European Union which, for more than three decades, has structurally ensured the active participation of territories and citizens in the construction of the European project. (09/04/2026)

During her address, Guardiola underlined that this award “reflects a deep conviction: Europe is not built solely from central institutions. Europe is built across the entire territory, from every corner, from the regions, from municipalities and, ultimately, from its citizens”.

María Guardiola explained that the jury wished to recognise the more than three decades of work of the European Committee of the Regions, highlighting its key role in incorporating the voice of cities and regions into the European Union’s decision-making process.

In this regard, the acting president stressed that the European Committee of the Regions represents “like few other institutions, that close, tangible, real Europe, and for more than three decades it has carried out an essential task: bringing the voice of municipalities and regions to the heart of European decision-making, a task that is often discreet but absolutely indispensable”.

This recognition also carries strong symbolic value, as it links back to the origins of the award itself: in its first edition, in 1995, it was granted to Jacques Delors, promoter of the European Committee of the Regions and a key figure in contemporary Europe.

The jury, chaired by the acting 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 jury members, 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 award ceremony will take place on ^25th May at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste, in the presence of His Majesty King Felipe VI, in a ceremony that will once again place Extremadura at the heart of Europeanism.

The president of the Committee of the Regions, Kata Tüttő, expressed her satisfaction with this recognition, which represents “the voice of cities and regions in the European decision-making and we bring our realities into the decision-making”. In her opinion, “when multiple storms are hitting our continent, it is more important than ever to keep the European Union strong from the inside”, she said in a video message.

European Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union institution which, for more than three decades, has structurally ensured the active participation of territories and citizens in the construction of the European project. Established by the Maastricht Treaty, the CoR was created with the aim of integrating the local and regional dimension into the Union’s decision-making process, thereby contributing to a more democratic, cohesive and citizen-focused Europe.

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

In an era characterised by acceleration, polarisation, and the temptation of simple responses to complex problems, the European Committee of the Regions has embodied a way of building Europe based on balance, listening, consensus, and cooperation across levels of government. It has demonstrated that territorial complexity does not weaken the Union, but rather makes it fairer, more realistic, and more resilient. This vision directly connects with the European political legacy symbolised by Charles V: the conviction that stability and cohesion are only possible when the multiple realities that shape the European space are respected.

The CoR has also been a school of practical Europeanism. Within it, representatives from highly diverse territories have learned to deliberate, to seek consensus, and to place the broader European interest above legitimate local particularities. This institutional pedagogy, exercised over decades, has contributed in a discreet yet profound way to the consolidation of a shared European political culture.

Carlos V European Award

Since 1995, the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation has awarded the Carlos V European Award with the aim of recognising the work of individuals, organisations, projects, or initiatives which, through their effort and dedication, have contributed to the general understanding and enhancement of Europe’s cultural, social, scientific, and historical values, as well as to the process of European construction and integration. During the award ceremony, the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste brings together both European and Ibero-American figures. The Carlos V European Award embodies the spirit of building a united, fair, equal, supportive, and free Europe. The formal award ceremony becomes an act of State, supported by His Majesty King Felipe VI, who holds the honorary presidency of Yuste Foundation.

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Yuste Foundation, together with the Economic and Social Council of Spain (CES), has organised the seminar “The European Union in the New Global Context: Improving Competitiveness by Advancing the Social Model”, which will take place today and tomorrow at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, with the participation of around 80 CES members, a body composed of trade union organisations, the business sector, and experts appointed by the government. (09/04/2026)

During the opening session, the acting regional minister for Education, Science and Vocational Training, María Mercedes Vaquera, spoke and stressed the importance of “dialogue” in order to seek the “necessary consensus” to consolidate Europe’s core values, namely “democracy, the rule of law and freedom”.

The acting regional minister highlighted the “usefulness” of the CES in addressing the challenges facing Europe, noting that since its creation in 1958, it “has had the vocation of building bridges between decision-makers, something that is now more necessary than ever”. In this regard, Vaquera explained that in order to respond to the various circumstances, the Economic and Social Council must overcome challenges relating to “representativeness, effectiveness, visibility, and autonomy and technical capacity”.

In conclusion, Mercedes Vaquera also highlighted the work carried out by Yuste Foundation, as well as the role of Extremadura as a bridge with the Americas, “with whom we share an extraordinary human and historical connection”, and as a “meeting place”. In this regard, she referred to Guadalupe as a “nerve centre which, from the outset, has known how to build bridges between different disciplines and bring together advances in knowledge”, she stated.

The president of the Economic and Social Council of Spain, Antón Costas, explained that the aim of holding these seminars is to become “instruments of voice to convey the results of dialogue to society as a whole”. In this respect, he added that in recent years there has also been an effort to incorporate “listening to individuals who represent initiatives and actions of great importance, which we must be aware of in order to shape our views, which will later become the CES’s agreed reports and opinions to be conveyed to the government and society”.

In Costas’s view, the year 2020 marked the starting point of a new era with two distinguishing features compared to the previous one. “We have moved from the idea that globalisation is about supplying goods and services to consumer citizens at the lowest possible cost, to an awareness that citizens are not only consumers but also producers, that is, we have introduced the worker’s perspective, the industrial policy”.

For his part, the guardian and custodian of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, friar Vidal Rodríguez, stated that, in his view, competitiveness is necessary, but only insofar as it entails “achieving higher levels of respect for and promotion of the individual and their rights”, and ensures bonds of collaboration and cooperation that “facilitate personal encounters, exchange, and social enrichment”, he said. The seminar will address topics such as defence in the European Union; competitiveness and innovation; and the social model.

Among the speakers are the president of CIDOB and former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and vice-president of the European Commission, Josep Borrell; the director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, brigadier general Víctor Bados Nieto; the professor of Economics and Business Organisation at the University of Zaragoza, Silvia Vicente-Oliva; and the director of CES Spain and director of the seminar, Carmen Vidal.

Yuste Foundation

It is a public, non-profit entity of a cultural, scientific, research, and outreach nature, forming part of the public foundation sector of the Regional Government of Extremadura. Among its objectives is contributing to the promotion and consolidation of the links between Extremadura, Europe, and Ibero-America, based on the principles of loyalty, respect for each other’s identity, mutual benefit, and solidarity.

It also supports the promotion of democracy, respect for human rights, the fostering of peace and international harmony, as well as the development of all the peoples and nations of the world, through the promotion of culture, research, the dissemination of knowledge, and social integration.

Economic and Social Council of Spain

The CES is the Government’s highest consultative body in socio-economic and labour matters, created by Law 21/1991. It acts as a forum for dialogue between trade unions, business organisations, and other sectors in order to analyse and issue opinions on government policies, with functional autonomy and attached to the Ministry of Labour.

Its functions include issuing mandatory reports on draft legislation and draft royal decrees regulating socio-economic and labour matters; producing optional reports; and preparing annual reports on the economic, labour, and social situation in Spain.

The doctoral thesis El Ministerio de Ultramar (1836-1899), by Dr. Elisa Díaz Álvarez, has been awarded the 10^th Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses organised by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation. (26/03/2026)

This research analyses the four decades during which the Ministry of Overseas Affairs was in operation, an independent department that managed the political-administrative services provided overseas at the time when the first American independences began to take place.

In this edition, 71 doctoral theses were submitted, from Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Guatemala, Portugal and France.

The winning thesis takes us into the context and work carried out by the Ministry of Overseas Affairs at a time when the Spanish monarchy had to reorganise, in the wake of the first American independences, a complex sovereign space in structural terms, due not only to the heterogeneity of the territories but also to their geographical dispersion, a mosaic of islands spread across the Caribbean and the China Sea. After several failed attempts, in 1863 a previously untested solution was adopted, namely the creation of an independent department that did not encompass all colonial competences, as Foreign Affairs, War and the Navy remained under their respective authorities.

The Ministry of Overseas Affairs was established as a single centre, based in Madrid, to manage the political-administrative services provided overseas. This marked the clear triumph of centralising tendencies over those who still advocated an autonomous or decentralised system. The Overseas portfolio functioned as a kind of bridge between two worlds while grappling with a host of challenges, ranging from a lack of funds and pressure from the Antillean slave-owning oligarchy to the constant threat posed by the powerful neighbouring United States.

Elisa Díaz Álvarez holds a degree in Law and a PhD in Law from the University of Extremadura. Her doctoral thesis was awarded the distinction of summa cum laude. She also completed a Master’s degree in Historical Research at the same university, where she received the prize for the best academic record. She has taken part in national and international conferences and is the author of numerous articles in academic journals. She is currently a lecturer in Law at UNED.

The award ceremony took place during 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” in this edition, which was held at the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe.

FINALISTS AND JURY

In this edition of the Prize, the following works were shortlisted as finalists: ‘Por Vos han dejado lo poco que tenían’: beatas y la construcción del catolicismo moderno en los mundos ibéricos de América y Asia (siglos XVI-XVIII), by Elena Manchado Rodríguez; El ritual postridentino y su música durante la labor misional Jesuita en América, by Miriam García Apolonio; Domingo Dulce y Garay (1808-1869). Guerra y política a ambos lados del Atlántico, by Javier Zúñiga Crespo; and Chile en el corazón: las relaciones de solidaridad política del Partido Comunista de España (PCE) y del Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya (PSUC) con la democracia chilena (1970-1982), by Pedro Salvador Marchant Veloz.

The jury for the 10^th Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses was composed of Sigfrido Vázquez Cienfuegos, professor of American History at the University of Extremadura; Rosa Mª Perales Piqueres, professor of Art History at the same university; Gabriel Moreno González, professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Extremadura; Carmen Fernández-Daza, director general of the Santa Ana University Centre and full member of the Royal Academy of Extremadura of Letters and Arts; and Juan Carlos Moreno Piñero, director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, who chaired the jury.

RESEARCH PRIZE TO IBERO-AMERICAN DOCTORAL THESES

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation established the Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses in order to recognise the best doctoral thesis defended over the past two years in Spain, Portugal, or any Ibero-American or European country, provided that it has received the highest academic distinction. The prize is awarded to theses that address relations between Spain, Portugal or Europe and Ibero-America, and vice versa, from a historical, cultural, social, scientific, economic or any other academic perspective. The award is endowed with €3,000 and includes the publication of the doctoral thesis.

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, the University of Extremadura (UEx), and the Ibero-American Research Centre of the Rey Juan Carlos University (CEIB-URJC) have organised the 9th International Congress on Relations between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, which this year is entitled “The Role of Latin America and Europe in a World at War”. The session will take place on 25 March in the Sala Capitular of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. (23/3/2026)

So far, 190 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.

The aim of this meeting of experts, professionals, analysts, academics and researchers is to examine the interaction that has taken place between the Americas and Europe over the past five centuries in greater depth, as well as to advance research into migration flows between these two regions. It will also address the challenges faced by these parts of the world and 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 the perspective of the media.

To this end, the congress will feature contributions from the lawyer and former member of the Venezuelan Senate, Antonio Ledezma; the writer Jesús Sánchez Adalid; the colonel and head 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 complete 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 the Americas; 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 topics 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 €3,000, and including the publication of the thesis in the Foundation’s book series “Tesis Doctorales”.

The congress organising committee 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 senior lecturer in the History of the Americas, head of the Americas area and 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 Changing World: Institutional Strengthening for Global Governance), funded by the Extremaduran Agency for International Development Cooperation (AEXCID). The project aims to strengthen institutional capacities, bi-regional political dialogue and strategic cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the context of an international scenario marked by profound economic, social, technological and geopolitical changes.

This activity forms part of the School of Guadalupe, a knowledge and knowledge-transfer programme launched by Yuste Foundation to promote reflection and research in the fields of History, Law and International Relations. Its aims include contributing to academic, social and intellectual development in the region and providing Ibero-American society with tools that are useful for socio-economic progress, grounded in the historical relations between Ibero-American countries, the current state of these ties, and the pursuit of a shared future.

The European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation has taken part in the specialised training course in International Development Cooperation held last weekend at the International Sports Innovation Centre in Natural Environments “El Anillo”, located in Guijo de Granadilla, with the participation of more than twenty young people from Extremadura. (19/3/2026)

This in-person phase, which forms part of the programme “Young People from Extremadura in Multilateral Organisations”, promoted by the Extremaduran Agency for International Development Cooperation and the Youth and Sports Foundation, with the support of Yuste Foundation, aims to train a new generation of professionals in order to position Extremadura within international organisations.

The opening of the event was attended by the director-general for Youth and Sports of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Santiago Amaro Barril; the director of the Extremaduran Agency for International Development Cooperation (AEXCID), Isabel Belloso Bueso; and the director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno Piñero, who highlighted the value of this initiative in fostering young talent from Extremadura in the international sphere.

The director of Yuste Foundation stressed the need to maintain hope: “when the time comes that generations have forgotten the horrors of the past, it is you who are called upon to steer the course once again”, and underlined that the seed of commitment lies within the young participants in the programme.

The director of AEXCID highlighted the importance of achieving balance in the world, noting that “our well-being depends on what happens in other parts of the world, so seeing ourselves as part of the solution becomes a fundamental driving force”.

For his part, the director-general for Youth and Sports emphasised “humility and young talent” as two of the core values of Extremadura’s DNA “which must be exported to the United Nations”, he stated.

Over the course of the weekend, participants took part in various training sessions aimed at gaining first-hand insight into how multilateral organisations operate and at preparing for competency-based selection processes used by United Nations agencies. To this end, meetings were held with representatives from different international bodies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

During the weekend, Yuste Foundation also coordinated a session featuring the head of External Relations at the Ibero-American General Secretariat, Cristina Manzano, and Yuste Foundation’s delegate in Brussels, Miguel Ángel Martín, who shared their experiences of working in the field of multilateralism and reflected on its present and future in a polarised world.

Furthermore, Yuste Foundation presented Extremadura’s Young People’s Network for Public Diplomacy, a stable platform for connection, participation and the return of young talent linked to the programme. Its aim is to strengthen ties among participants, foster the exchange of professional and academic experiences, and facilitate cooperation with institutions and international organisations, thereby contributing to the international projection of young talent from Extremadura.

The in-person training also created a space for dialogue with young people who had taken part in previous editions and who are currently pursuing their professional careers in multilateral organisations.

As in previous editions, the course prepares participants for the upcoming selection processes of the programme, through which six young people will have the opportunity to undertake paid professional placements for one year in various United Nations agencies across different countries.

OBJECTIVES

The programme “Young People from Extremadura in Multilateral Organisations”, promoted by AEXCID and the Youth and Sports Foundation of the Regional Government of Extremadura, in collaboration with Yuste Foundation, has become a benchmark initiative for promoting young talent from Extremadura at the international level.

More than one hundred young people have already taken part in this specialised course and, with this new edition, a total of 48 individuals will have completed professional placements in international organisations.

In addition, the programme shows a high rate of international employability, as more than 90% of those who have taken part in the placements continue to develop their professional careers in international organisations or in the field of development cooperation.