The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organises the “Spain in the World II” summer course in Santander

After holding the first edition last summer, which focused on the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Palace of Magdalena will once again host this seminar on Spanish foreign policy in five-day programme, from Monday 29 July to Friday 2 August.

The course will be attended by José Manuel Albares, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, and the Ministry's four State Secretaries: Diego Martínez Belío, Fernando Sampedro, Eva Granados and Susana Sumelzo. Led by Federico Torres Muro, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to NATO, the seminar will bring together Spanish and international experts with representatives from the Ministry, and from other States and international organisations such as ECOWAS, EEAS, SEGIB, UNCTAD or NATO.

The seminar will be influenced by the current global upheaval. With an international backdrop marked by instability and the growing questioning of the rules that guarantee international coexistence, Spain faces the challenge of adapting to the new geopolitical environment over the coming years to continue defending the values and interests of the Spanish people.

The course will address the different areas and challenges that this adaptation must face, from the future of the EU and NATO to the reform of multilateralism, financing for development or the geopolitical consequences of the double ecological and digital transition. Regions such as Latin America, the Sahel, West Africa and Asia-Pacific will be discussed, as well as cross-cutting issues such as the rise of conflict and impunity, the ascension of the plural South, technological competition, and the instrumentalisation of interdependencies in the international economy. And, of course, Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which in 2024 has entered its third year, is also on the agenda.