Una Europa Students analyze together at Universidad Complutense de Madrid the Challenges Facing the European Union

UCM's Faculty of Law is hosting this week the Europe and the World Winter School of Una Europa. This initiative brings together 52 students from different campuses of the alliance from February 3 to 7: “Practically all of them are in their second year of the Bachelor of Arts in European Studies (BAES) at one of the four universities that award the degree (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna; KU Leuven; Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie; and Universidad Complutense de Madrid). However, since this degree is highly sought after by students from many European countries, we can say that we have representatives from almost every corner of Europe,” explains Diego Rodríguez, Professor of Economics and Business Sciences and academic coordinator of this activity at UCM, along with Professors Luis Antonio Anguita (Faculty of Law) and Claudia Finotelli (Political Science and Sociology).

The goal of this Winter School is to strengthen dynamic, interdisciplinary, and reflective learning and to foster networking among students of the alliance who share academic and professional interests in European Studies. At the suggestion of these three professors from Complutense University—who are part of the group of European Studies experts alongside other faculty from the eleven campuses in the alliance—this edition of the Europe and the World Winter School focuses on addressing three major issues currently facing the European Union: climate policies, migration, and the evolution of its relations with Latin America. “Our goal,” the organizers point out, “is to share experiences and learnings on these three topics, as we were clear from the outset that they are three critical areas that will shape the European agenda in the coming years.”

Following an initial online session held on January 31, this week in Madrid provides in-person interaction in which BAES students are not only analyzing current policies being implemented to address these challenges in the EU but also developing their own recommendations to tackle these issues. A significant part of the week is dedicated to workshops where students collaborate in teams to shape their own ideas. On Friday, they will present their conclusions on the challenges facing European migration policies following the approval of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the technological and financial uncertainties linked to the EU’s climate agenda, and the impact of economic and political instability in various Latin American countries. “The idea,” says Professor Rodríguez, “is that after a brief introduction to the topic, students will be able to discuss, present arguments, and provide accurate information about one of the challenges addressed in the Winter School. To this end, we have previously assigned them to a working group based on preferences expressed in a prior survey. These working groups are further divided into smaller teams that will analyze a topic proposed by the professors, who act as supervisors for their work. The results of their reflections will be shared in a final session.”

The objective is for participants to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, deepen their understanding of the EU’s current landscape, and adopt a comparative and collaborative perspective by interacting with students from diverse backgrounds. Diego Rodríguez’s first piece of advice for students to make the most of this experience is to be curious: “Curiosity is the essential condition for the advancement of knowledge. In this sense, the Winter School aims to stimulate curiosity and instill rigor in the analysis of some of the challenges the EU will face in the coming years, recognizing that, unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all policy solution. In an increasingly polarized environment, conveying the need for rigorous and thoughtful analysis of problems is already a value in itself.”

This week, which began with an institutional welcome from the Vice-Rector for International Relations and Cooperation, Mª del Rosario Cristóbal Roncero, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law, José Manuel Almudí Cid, combines workshops and plenary conferences (some off-campus, such as expert panels at Casa Árabe and the CaixaBank Auditorium) with various cultural activities (including visits to the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofía Museum) and even fieldwork. On Monday afternoon, professors from the Department of Applied Sociology, Andrés Walliser and Margarita Barañano, experts in public space analysis, accompanied students on a tour of some of Madrid’s central neighborhoods, providing them with insights on how to "read" the city and relate their observations to the topics being studied in the Winter School. Additionally, Complutense students who are part of the Una Europa Student Task Force have organized a fun treasure hunt for them this Wednesday, leading them across the University City to discover various landmarks and objects, helping them become more familiar with some of the most curious and emblematic places on campus.

To stay updated on Una Europa and not miss out on the opportunities it offers to various groups within the Complutense community, we recommend visiting its web space on ucm.es and subscribing to its monthly newsletter.