04.07.2025 Summer School on European Affairs welcomes top EU speakers at Comillas

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These sessions focused on analysing the situation of the European Union in the context of instability coming from its eastern neighborhood.

From 23-30 June, Universidad Pontificia Comillas hosted the Summer School on European Affairs 2025, focusing on EU security and defence policy and the Eastern Neighbourhood. Co-organised with the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and Marburg University, the programme brought together leading scholars and institutional representatives for a week of academic and field engagement in central Madrid.

Particularly noteworthy were the contributions by Margaritis Schinas, former European Commission Vice-President, who delivered a lecture on Europe's foreign policy in the age of realpolitik, and MEP Marcos Ros, who explored the European Parliament's role in EURONEST and in shaping the EU’s Eastern policy.

The school was further enriched by numerous other prominent academic and policy voices, including Cristina Lobillo Borrero (European Commission), Alexandra Nkotau (NATO), Jason Xidias (University of New York) and Galyna Solovei (National University of Kyiv), offering diverse insights into Europe's current geopolitical challenges.

Participants also visited the European Commission Representation in Spain and the Centre for National Defence Studies (CESEDEN), gaining direct insight into the workings of European policy and strategy-making institutions.

The programme allowed students to deepen their understanding of current EU foreign policy issues and to build direct connections with political decision-makers. This initiative reinforces Comillas' commitment to international academic excellence in the field of European and international affairs.

The group of students included participants from Germany, the Czech Republic, Portugal, France and Spain, reflecting the European and intercultural scope of the programme.