“Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean face both the challenge and the tremendous opportunity of preserving their historic relationship while working together to develop responses to an increasingly complex world”. These were the words of Pablo Hurtado, director-general for European Affairs and External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, at the opening of the course “UE–LAC Relations: Opportunities and Challenges in a Transforming World”, which is being held until Friday at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste, “a site of European memory from which Yuste Foundation promotes dialogue, reflection and exchange between Europe and Ibero-America”. (08/07/2026)

According to Hurtado, the two regions are looking towards a shared future founded on “knowledge, innovation, university cooperation, culture, science and opportunities for our societies”. In this context, he expressed Extremadura’s commitment to continuing to serve as a bridge through Campus Yuste, “a forum for calmly reflecting on the major shared challenges we must confront”.

At a time of profound transformation, marked by the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, the energy transition and the technological revolution, the director-general called for “Europe’s strategic autonomy without relinquishing the defence of freedom, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, multilateralism and peace”.

For his part, Fernando Pizarro, director of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, recalled that the Campus Yuste programme forms part of the University of Extremadura’s Summer/Autumn Courses, “the essential framework that provides the academic basis for organising this gathering”, he said.

Fernando Pizarro highlighted the value of these summer courses, noting that they offer students “the opportunity to reflect and broaden the horizons of reason and truth”. Around 130 participants from countries including Belgium, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czechia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, the United States, Uruguay and Venezuela have registered to attend the second course, either in person or online.

In closing, the director of Yuste Foundation explained that the fundamental purpose of taking part in Campus Yuste is to ensure that “debate and reflection grounded in freedom continue beyond these walls, so that we are able to build peace and a better society, never losing sight of the defence of human rights, the welfare state and lasting peace founded on truth and freedom”.

The opening session also featured Juan Manuel Rodríguez Barrigón, professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Extremadura and director of the course, who placed the course theme in context by explaining that, in light of the continuing crises, realignments and tensions affecting transatlantic relations, “the European Union must give more serious and sustained consideration to the deep and strategic ties it shares with Latin America and the Caribbean”.

In this regard, Barrigón stressed the need for these relations to be underpinned by objectives that go beyond narrow national interests. “Both the European Union and the American states must commit themselves to giving their relationship a robust strategic dimension”, he stated.

Bringing the opening session to a close, the University of Extremadura’s vice-rector for University Extension, Teresa Terrón, underlined the timeliness of the course in the current political landscape. “We are living through a period of profound transformation. A geopolitical shift is shaping our lives. There are major energy challenges, new trade dynamics, and all of this is generating tensions that give rise to international conflicts and are redefining the global order. We cannot remain indifferent to these developments”. In this context, she added, “the relationship between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean takes on renewed significance”.

The course has been conceived as a forum for strategic reflection and open dialogue bringing together young people, academics, public institutions and civil society. It aims to examine the present and future of relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean from a multidisciplinary and intergenerational perspective, with the goal of generating new ideas, promoting public policy proposals, and contributing to stronger bi-regional cooperation capable of addressing today’s major global challenges.

The course 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 Translforming World: Institutional Strengthening for Global Governance), which seeks to reinforce institutional capacities, foster bi-regional political dialogue, and strengthen strategic cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in response to an international landscape shaped by profound economic, social, technological and geopolitical change.

More than 130 young people from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Spain, Mauritania, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Uruguay have enrolled in the summer course “The European Union’s Strategic Autonomy in the Face of the Global (Dis)Order”, which was inaugurated today at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste. Of the total number of participants, 50 are attending the course in person. (01/07/2026)

During his address, the director of Yuste Foundation, Fernando Pizarro, expressed his gratitude to the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and to the president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, for the opportunity to lead this public foundation.

Pizarro also highlighted the work carried out by Yuste Foundation for more than three decades “to promote Extremadura internationally, both in Europe and Ibero-America, and to help the region recover the greatness of the era of Emperor Charles V”.

Meanwhile, Alfonso Pinilla, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Extremadura and co-director of the course, outlined the topics that will be addressed over the three-day programme.

He explained that the course will examine the relationship between the European Union’s ambitions and its capabilities; explore the values underpinning the European integration project; address the EU’s energy autonomy; analyse the relationship between Euroscepticism and the desire of other countries to join the Union; examine its complex relations with the countries of Eastern Europe; and consider the present and future of the welfare state. In addition, the programme will provide an in-depth analysis of the challenges Europe faces in achieving strategic autonomy in defence, concluding with an examination of the European Union’s relationship with China.

Jesús Conde Fuentes, deputy vice-rector for University Extension at the University of Extremadura, highlighted the importance of the International Summer/Autumn Courses, emphasising their significance for both the university community and society as a whole.

The course is directed by Alfonso Pinilla García, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Extremadura, and Jaime Rossell Granados, president of the Extremaduran Council of the European Movement (CEXME). It is organised with the collaboration of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Patrimonio Nacional, the Extremaduran Agency for International Development Cooperation, the Provincial Council of Cáceres, the Provincial Council of Badajoz, and Mafresa.

The Board of Trustees of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation has agreed to propose the appointment of Fernando Pizarro as the Foundation’s new director to the Governing Council of the Regional Government of Extremadura. (15/05/2026)

The decision was taken at a meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of the president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, and follows the resignation, at his own request, of Juan Carlos Moreno, who had served as director since 2016.

Fernando Pizarro has extensive experience in the educational, cultural and institutional spheres. A teacher by profession, he has played a prominent public role in recent years as mayor of Plasencia, a position he held from 2011 until his resignation on Monday.

In accordance with Yuste Foundation’s Statutes, the proposal for appointment will be submitted to the Governing Council of the Regional Government of Extremadura for approval.

ACTION PLAN 2026

During the meeting, the Board of Trustees also approved the Foundation’s Action Plan and budget for the 2026 financial year. The programme includes more than fifty activities aimed at strengthening Extremadura’s role as a meeting point between Europe and Ibero-America.

Among the most significant initiatives is a new edition of the Carlos V European Award, which this year has been granted to the European Committee of the Regions in recognition of its contribution to strengthening the European project.

The Foundation will also continue to promote the Campus Yuste training programme, developed in collaboration with the University of Extremadura and established as an international benchmark for academic debate on Europe, Ibero-America and the major global challenges. During the summer of 2026, a number of international courses will be held at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste, focusing on issues such as the strategic autonomy of the European Union, relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, and the dynastic policy of the Habsburgs.

The Foundation’s activities will also continue to be strengthened through the School of Guadalupe, an initiative that promotes dialogue, knowledge-sharing and cooperation between Extremadura, Europe and Ibero-America through congresses, seminars and specialised meetings.

RESEARCH, CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION

In the field of research, the Foundation will maintain established programmes such as the Carlos V European Award European Research and Mobility Grants, the Doctoral Seminar, and the Research Prize to Ibero-American Doctoral Theses, all aimed at fostering scientific output and the exchange of knowledge.

The cultural programme will continue to include initiatives such as the Emperor’s Concerts, as well as a range of educational activities designed to bring the realities of Europe and Ibero-America closer to the school community of Extremadura.

The Foundation will also continue to expand its publishing activities through the release of new specialised publications and the publication of the Academy of Yuste’s Newsletter Annual, conceived as a resource for dissemination and reference on the principal debates within its field of activity.

Finally, the Foundation will continue to strengthen its network of cooperation with national and international institutions and organisations, consolidating strategic partnerships that help promote dialogue and the exchange of knowledge between Extremadura, Europe and Ibero-America.

The Board of Trustees, the Academy and the staff of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation mourn the passing of the French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin, member of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste. Morin took up the Jean Monnet chair during the ceremony for the awarding of the Carlos V European Award to Helmut Kohl on 20 June 2006. (31/05/2026)

He was born in 1921 in Paris under the name Edgar Nahoum, into a Greek Sephardic Jewish family of Italian origin. Against this family background, Morin always defended his multiple identity as Spanish, French, Italian and European. After the German occupation, he joined the French Resistance to fight Nazism. At that time, he changed his surname to Morin, referring to one of the characters in Man’s Fate by Malraux. War, totalitarianism and the destruction of Europe shaped his thinking and led him to study human contradictions.

Regarded as one of the great intellectuals shaped by Europe in the first half of the 20th century, Morin was an engaged thinker who never avoided the major issues and challenges of his time. He was the creator of the theory of “complex thinking”, which seeks to understand reality in an integrated way, as an interconnected whole, avoiding reductionism, and interpreting social phenomena through the integration of biology, history, sociology and culture.

Morin leaves behind a substantial body of work comprising more than twenty books on sociology, politics, culture and knowledge.

EDGAR MORIN AND YUSTE

Edgar Morin had a close relationship with the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation. Among other activities, he actively participated in the presentation in Paris of the Carlos V European Award to Helmut Kohl in 2006. He took part in the Declaration of the European Academy of Yuste “The Future of Europe: The Citizens’ and Social Europe”, approved in Yuste. In June 2006 he took up the Jean Monnet chair during the ceremony for the awarding of the Carlos V European Award to Helmut Kohl, delivering the speech on behalf of the new academicians.

The French thinker and humanist Edgar Morin expressed great honour at joining the Academy of Yuste, while also defending “a model of European construction based on deepening integration while continuing to enlarge the European Union, as a solution to the remaining stability problems in some European countries, with particular reference to the situation in the Balkans; while recognising the problems arising from this model of unity in diversity”. He was also a member of the jury of the Carlos V European Award in some editions.

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.

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.