The 2008 economic crisis hit the Southern European countries, especially Spain, hard. This subsequently impacted the birth of populist political parties, which has changed the political and social landscape in the country. The COVID pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine have also had an important impact on Southern European societies.
Regional elections in Spain in 2021 showed that Spaniards were less supportive of the left-wing coalition government (PSOE and UP) than ever. This was a direct result of the COVID pandemic and the controversial measures (e.g. unconstitutional lockdown, fiscal laws, etc.) the coalition had taken, as well as of the consequences of the war in Ukraine (rocketing prices in gas, electricity, and basic products).
In 2023 Spanish municipal and regional elections confirmed this change in support for the political left. The national elections of July 2023 showed that the country had polarized even further, with two clear blocks having almost the same amount of voters: PP+VOX and PSOE+SUMAR (former UP) + nationalist parties. The national elections also led to the disappearance of both Podemos and Ciudadanos. This has consequences for the Spanish economy and the alliances Spain has both within Europe and with the rest of the world.
Spanish Studies at Utrecht University is organizing an International Conference entitled “Spain Today”, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event will take place on Friday 24th of November 2023. Several experts will debate Dutch-Spanish viewpoints on international strategic alliances, economic recovery and political change in Europe.
DATE: 24 November
PLACE: AULA, Academiegebouw, Domplein, Utrecht.
For attendance online, please write to R.fernandezrodriguez@uu.nl
Programme
| 9:15 | Registration |
| 9:30 | Introductory notes by Rebeca Fernández Rodríguez (Spanish Studies, Utrecht University), Erlijne Wissels
(Head of Western Europe Division of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
| 9:45 | David García Cantalapiedra, PhD in International Relationships, will be introduced by Stefanie Massink (Utrecht University).
“Spain in Europe and the World. What are the consequences of the political change regarding Morocco? What new strategic alliances will be forced? Will there be an issue with the new left-wing governments in Latin America? |
| 10.30 | Break |
| 10:50 | Daniel Lacalle, PhD in Economics, will be introduced by Martijn Huysmans (Utrecht University) “Populist approaches to the economy, economic alliances and new challenges for Spanish and European economies (ageing society, technology and public expenses), globalization and protectionism, ” |
| 11:35 | Panel & Debate, moderated by Hugo Abrial and Jelle Timmermans, co-founders of the students’ Think Tank GA! |
| 12:30 | Endnotes by and Rebeca Fernández Rodríguez and Erlijne Wissels |
| 12.45 | Lunch |
SPEAKERS
David García Cantalapiedra holds a PhD in International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. Director of the UCM’s Research Group on Security and International Cooperation and of the research programme on US foreign policy at the Franklin Institute, University of Alcalá de Henares. His main areas of research are US foreign policy, international security, international relations theory, NATO, international relations in Asia-Pacific, Spanish foreign policy, nuclear armament, strategy and geopolitics. He was a Senior Research Fellow in US Foreign Policy and Transatlantic Relations at the Elcano Royal Institute, a member of the Strategy Review Group of NATO’s Transatlantic Opinion Leaders Programme and a member of NATO’s Nuclear Posture and Strategic Concept Review Working Group. He has been a visiting lecturer or researcher at Ateneo de Manila University, the United Nations University for Peace in Manila, the EU Centre of the Singapore Consortium of Universities and King’s College London. Recipient of the Defense Award of the Ministry of Defense in 2001.
Daniel Lacalle holds a PhD in Economics and a degree in Economics and Business Studies, a CIIA (Certified International Investment Analyst), a Master’s degree in Economic Research (UCV) and a postgraduate degree (PDD) from IESE (University of Navarra). His portfolio management and investment career began in the United States and continued in London, (at Citadel, Ecofin Limited and PIMCO) covering equities, fixed income, private equity and commodities. He has been voted for five consecutive years in the Top 3 managers of the Extel Survey, the Thomson Reuters ranking, in the General Strategy, Oil and Utilities categories. Prior to his time as a manager, he worked as a financial analyst at ABN Amro (now RBS) and held various responsibilities at Repsol and Enagas, where he received the award for best IPO (IR Awards 2002).
Stefanie Massink is Assistant Professor History of International Relations. Stefanie publishes, presents and teaches on topics related to the history of international relations, in particular the Cold War and multilateralism, the international dimensions of democratization and regime change, Dutch foreign policy, small states and international relations, Spain in the world, the international dimensions of the Spanish Civil War as well as the Dutch-Spanish relations.
Martijn Huysmans obtained his PhD at KU Leuven (2018) and has been on research stays at Stanford University (2015) and LUISS Rome (2022). He conducts research at the intersection of economics and political science (political economy) and focuses on the European Union (EU). He mainly works on EU trade policy, for instance through the lens of the protection and trade of EU regional specialty foods (geographical indications). He also studies EU institutional design (Article 50/Brexit, Role of National Parliaments and Early Warning System). In 2020, he was elected a member of the Utrecht Young Academy (UYA).