COMUNICATION

Enrique Moradiellos García, professor of Contemporary History at the University of Extremadura and Doctor of History from the University of Oviedo, has taken up his position as a member of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste in Mérida today and he will occupy the Herodotus of Halicarnassus Chair, who is considered the father of History. (04/11/2022)

The president of the Regional Government of Extremadura and president of the Board of Trustees of the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation, Guillermo Fernández Vara, several members of the regional government and institutions of Extremadura participated in the event concerning Enrique Moradiellos’ investiture, which was held at the “Sala de Banderas”, in the Regional Government’s seat.

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, who proposed the appointment of Moradiellos and who occupies the Manuel Godoy Chair at the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste, also participated in the event and welcomed him on behalf of the Academy.

The new academic’s admission speech is entitled “Una mirada histórica desde Yuste sobre Europa” and in it, after expressing gratitude and pride for his appointment, he reflected on the influence of Europe in relation to its geopolitical situation and that of the centres of power throughout history, which have gone from their location in the Mediterranean, in the classical period of Greece and Rome; in the Atlantic, in the years of the discovery and conquest of America and in more modern times with the hegemony of the United States and the important role of the European Union; to the current dominance of the Pacific riparian countries with the consequent loss of Europe’s geostrategic influence.

In this current context, Professor Enrique Moradiellos stressed the need to maintain and consolidate the union between European countries, bearing in mind that there are problems and that reactionary nationalisms are being worked on, which there is a solution to, to improve the UE, because if it were replaced by a new model, if territorial fragmentation were imposed, the door to self-destruction would open and would weaken us in the face of new powers.

In this sense, the new academic also referred to what has been called “politicisation of the malaise”, caused by the current economic situation; a problem that cannot be solved with old xenophobic and totalitarian rhetoric and which the European states do not have the capacity to fight against if they fight on their own, according to his explanation.

Enrique Moradiellos pledged to continue collaborating with the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation in the historic duty to fight for the vital need of European and American solidarity, “because it may be vital for us”.

In response to Professor Moradiellos’ speech, Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra spoke of the Foundation’s initial interest in giving content beyond what is purely economic to the EU, which is why it was conceived as an intellectual entity, in defence of human rights, freedoms and democracy and in which “the icing on the cake” was the Carlos V Awards, a wake-up call to put Extremadura and the Foundation on the map and which have now taken a leading role, thus advocating a return to the origins.

The president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Fernández Vara, closed the event. During his speech, he referred to the need to strengthen the European institutions and to structure the European project in order to deal with current problems.

He pointed out that Brexit, the pandemic and war on European territory have highlighted the need for Europe to be self-sufficient in generating its own resources, especially energy, a situation that represents an opportunity for territories such as Extremadura. “Faced with the challenges facing Europe, Extremadura has a great opportunity”, he claimed.