COMUNICACIÓN

The director general of External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, inaugurated the course “Reinventing Europe in the Face of Current and European Challenges” which will be held until Friday at the Monastery of San Jerónimo de Yuste. This course is organised by the European and Ibero-American Academy of Yuste Foundation within the framework of the 25^th International Summer/Autumn Courses of the University of Extremadura. (17/07/2024).

According to the director general, Yuste is the ideal place to analyse this topic as it is considered a stronghold for the defence of European values. He, therefore, recalled the ceremony of the Carlos V European Award, which was delivered to the Italian economist Mario Draghi, as well as the 2023 European Heritage Label that awarded to the Monastery of Yuste for its symbolic value and historical role in the creation of Europe. In this regard, he acknowledged the work of Yuste Foundation for maintaining European memory in this space and for transforming this site into “a space for academic and intellectual reflection where young people gather every year to talk about Europe, our values, and how we should reinvent, if necessary, or otherwise continue building this Europe which is the best we have and the best we achieved seventy-five years ago”.

The director general invited attendees to discuss the proposed topics with concern but also with hope because, in his opinion, Europe remains a reference in the defence of the values enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union. Thus, in the face of populism and exclusionary nationalism, he advocated for a “united, supportive, free, and inclusive Europe where citizens are the protagonists”.

In turn, the director of Yuste Foundation, Juan Carlos Moreno, recognised the value of Yuste and the emperor for “conceiving Europe as a supranational reality”. He also emphasised the importance of maintaining European values and the necessity for peace to return and for racism, xenophobia, and intolerance to end.

Jaime Rossell, a professor at the University of Extremadura and vice president of the Extremaduran Council of the European Movement, explained that given the changes occurring in Europe with various crises, the pandemic, and war, it is more necessary than ever “to delve into the possibility of reforming democratic processes and to continue encouraging citizens to participate in shaping their future within the Union”. He advocated for a greater presence of local policies in the construction of Europe.

To conclude, he recalled the central idea that gave rise to the Ventotene Manifesto, which aimed at the creation of a federal Europe that promotes economic, social, and territorial cohesion and solidarity among Member States.

This course is part of a broad offering of international courses aimed at creating a forum of knowledge where the participation and debate of university students, professors, academics, and the general public facilitate the exchange of ideas for greater intellectual richness.

To close the order of speeches at the inauguration, the vice-rector of Students, Employment, and Mobility of the University of Extremadura, Alicia González Pérez, appealed to this meeting forum to evaluate the geopolitical risks currently facing Europe and to seek solutions that can then be shared by all Member States to reach an agreement that allows us to guide the future of the Union.

Some of the speakers participating include Jean Monnet Chair ad personam and vice president of the Royal European Academy of Doctors, Teresa Freixes; member of the Spanish Parliament, Carlos Floriano; director of REDELcano, Áurea Moltó; president of the Union of European Federalists, Domenec Ruiz Davesa; and substitute member of the European Committee of the Regions and director general of External Action of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Pablo Hurtado, among other experts and professors.

This summer course has over one hundred students, both in-person and online, from Belgium, China, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Portugal, and Romania.

The course is directed by professor of State Ecclesiastical Law at the University of Extremadura, Jaime Rossell, and by the president of the Extremaduran Council of the European Movement (CEXME) and former member of the European Parliament, Alejandro Cercas.