COMMUNICATION

The director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno, inaugurated the course “The Protection of Common Values in the European Union” today, highlighting that Emperor Charles V, who lived at the Monastery of Yuste for nineteen months and eighteen days, was the first person who devised a united Europe based on values and their defence. (11/07/2023)

During his speech, Moreno Piñero affirmed that Yuste Foundation intends to be a co-participant in the educational excellence which the Rector of the University of Extremadura, Pedro Fernández, works for.

In turn, professor of Constitutional Law of the University of Extremadura and co-director of the course, Marcos Criado de Diego, highlighted the work that is carried out by Yuste Foundation to become a reference in research on different areas that link the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean. In this sense, he affirmed that values have become a reference of repeated use in public and political discourse revealing a new aspect of the European integration process.

Criado de Diego stated that in these times of uncertainty, having shared values means “having guidelines to travel through tenebrous ground”, although values also pose complexity, because we do not agree on their meaning, but “they play the role of structuring the debate”.

According to professor of Constitutional Law of the University of Extremadura and co-director of the course, Lorena Chano Regaña, the course “The Protection of Common Values in the European Union” is the culmination of a year of activities within the Jean Monnet EUCOMMIT module. A module where studies, debates and research is carried out on what is meant by values of the European Union, what is their meaning, their scope and how “we will make these common values effective and applicable in the current context of global uncertainty in Spain, Europe and this globalised world”.

The rector of the University of Extremadura, Pedro Fernández, stated that as far as the University of Extremadura is concerned, and at European level, the interest to discuss and establish a series of values common to all has become a reality. The first example of these established common values is the Bologna Process “which seeks to establish a common higher education educational framework throughout Europe, although it is clear that it has shortcomings, but the effort that has been made to standardise higher education at European level is important”.

The rector also highlighted a second aspect related to the joint search for European values as far as university alliances are concerned. “Several Spanish and European universities, including the University of Extremadura, are coordinating alliances that seek to establish common parameters and values to establish joint educational and research and development plans in the field of the environment, development, and biodiversity”.

Participants from Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Mexico, Nicaragua and Portugal have enrolled in the course.

The course is framed within the training programme Campus Yuste and is part of the University of Extremadura’s International Summer/Autumn Courses.

The link to follow the course live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H99x3_brQLM