12-13 in January 2009

The presence of East Asia is becoming increasingly important and clear in the world context. Using different perspectives and disciplines, this seminar will be focusing on the processes and dynamics of cultural exchange, the bidirectional cultural transferences between East Asia and the rest of the world, as well as the internal cultural diversity of the region. Cultural production, the building of discourses and identities, among other things, represent key points for analysing the interculturality being generated in East Asia.

17 January 2009

Russia is the European Union’s largest neighbour. Relations between Russia and the EU have become a fundamental aspect for the stability of Europe as a whole, as well as being one of the key bilateral relations in terms of world governance. From energy security to shared neighbourhood areas such as the Black Sea and the Caucasus, the interdependence between the EU and Russia has generated mutual tensions and fears. Following this summer’s events in Georgia, a direct dialogue is being imposed, and a reflection on the future of this global relationship.

The Seminar War and Peace in the 21st Century, which has been held at the beginning of every year since 2001, under the auspices of the Mayor of Barcelona, will this year be focusing on this issue, and will feature the presence (now habitual at this seminar) of Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council and High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union, as well as of Russian and European experts and politicians.

Presentation and debate of the research study The representation of women in four national parliaments. The cases of Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Presentation chaired by Antonia Martínez, Lecturer at the University of Murcia and Director of the Mexico Study Centre at the Ortega y Gasset Foundation.

The questioning of the principle of equality in the dispute over the inherent power of the pluralism and ethnocultural neutrality of the Liberal State, the development of feminist studies and the importance of multiculturalist approaches, with their arguments in favour of recognising collective rights for social groups with specific characteristics, all mean that this issue has become a central theme in debates on the quality of political representation.

La reciente celebración de la Tribuna del Agua, durante la Expo Zaragoza 2008, ha servido para volver situar sobre la mesa de debate alguno de los principales retos que existen en la gestión del agua, uno de los recursos que condicionan en mayor medida tanto la articulación interna de algunos estados, así como las relaciones internacionales. El presente taller de debate pretende examinar, junto con expertos de Asia Central, la gestión de los recursos hídricos que se presenta en esta región, incluyendo las perspectivas para una gestión integrada del agua, su trascendencia para la seguridad internacional, las respuestas que ofrecen al respecto los mecanismos de cooperación internacional, o las repercusiones para el desarrollo en los países de la zona. La cita es además una ocasión propicia para analizar el papel de los organismos internacionales en Asia Central y para plantear qué papel puede jugar España a través de la Presidencia de la UE que ejercerá en 2010.

28-29 January 2009

With this seminar, the CIDOB Foundation marks the launching of the EU4Seas project, funded by the EU's 7th Framework Programme. EU4Seas will be analysing, over a three-year period (2009-2011) the sub-regional cooperation in and around four maritime basins in the continent of Europe: the Mediterranean, the Caspian, the Baltic and the Black Sea, as well as the impact of EU policies (enlargement, neighbourhood and multilateral cooperation) on these spaces. The aim is to define strategies for political action at different levels (policy and security, environment and maritime policy, energy and transport, and the four freedoms) that can be adopted by the Union in its relations with these regions. The project will be carried out by a consortium of eight research centres, coordinated for the first time by CIDOB: CES-METU (Ankara, Turkey), ICDS (Tallin, Estonia), ICPS (Kiev, the Ukraine), IAI (Rome, Italy), IIA-CSSS (Reykjavik, Iceland), CPMR (Rennes, France) y CNIS (Baku, Azerbaijan).

Within the framework of this, the first seminar, academics, experts and diplomats will spend two days analysing the importance of some regional cooperation and how the EU should approach this small-scale multilateralism.

This seminar represents a continuation of the research study “Towards an Andean Peace Zone. Between Cooperation and Conflict: Drug-trafficking, shared water resources and hydrocarbons”, which was published in 2007. On this occasion, the use of water resources in the Andean region is presented as a possible motor for regional integration which, at the same time, could help to prevent border conflicts. Based on national studies, the seminar aims to examine the state of the issue of water as a strategic resource in the area and to examine possible regional and interstate cooperation mechanisms that could foster a comprehensive administration and guarantee the population's access to what is a basic need. The seminar will also be studying the participation of private investment and its regulation, the position of water within the free trade treaty and to what extent these elements could hinder a common regional strategy.