The Royal University Institute of European Studies (IDEE) has held the seminar 'Spanish-British Relations After Brexit: Building Bridges', a project in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. The debate was  sparked by the growing importance of the post-Brexit bilateral relationship between Spain and the United Kingdom , and serves as a platform where proposals and initiatives can be put forward to serve as a reference for other Member States or the European Union itself.

The first panel discussion, entitled 'Citizens, Education and Culture. Opportunities and Challenges post-Brexit' was attended by notable figures from the academic world, such as Charles Powell, director of the Elcano Royal Institute; Catherine Barnard, professor at Trinity College, University of Cambridge; and Allan Francis Tatham, professor at the San Pablo CEU University. The round table was moderated by the director of the IDEE, José María Beneyto.

One of the pillars on which the debate was based was how Brexit has  represented a setback in terms of student mobility, the Erasmus+ programme and cultural exchange,  against the backdrop of an increased relevance for the  Spanish language, not only in the United Kingdom, but also internationally. For his part, Charles Powell recalled that "Brexit clearly means the rupture of many relationships that had been forged over decades".

 In the second panel discussion, entitled “Economic, Security and Defence Relations after Brexit”, we had the pleasure of  hearing the views of Salvador Sánchez Tapia, Infantry Brigadier General, Álvaro Anchuelo, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Alcalá de Henares, and Enrique Feás, commercial technician and State economist. The round table was moderated by Belén Becerril, Deputy Director of the IDEE.

To conclude, they discussed the repercussions of Brexit on trade policy, the Schengen area, and  terretorial problems  such as those in Gibraltar and  Northern  Ireland. Sánchez Tapia closed the event by focusing the debate on the military role of the United Kingdom after leaving the European Union, and the projection of the "Global United Kingdom" in the face of a European Union that "also needs to rethink its security and defence situation". He also pointed out that "with Brexit, the United Kingdom is losing the opportunity to multiply its voice on the international stage in an increasingly regionalised world".