Cañada Blanch Dialogues  «Europe and the New Geopolitics»

Fundación Cañada Blanch in collaboration with Aspen Institute España, will host a dialogue with José Mª de Areilza and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose conducted by Juan Viña on May 6th, 2025, at 7:00 PM, both at the headquarters of Fundación Cañada Blanch and online via YouTube.

You can register using the following form or follow it online at Cañada Blanch Foundation channel.

Dialogue Description

We are living in a time of great uncertainty in which the geopolitical landscape is being redefined, and security—now an expanding concept—is taking precedence over shared prosperity.

In this context, and on the occasion of Europe Day, celebrated on Friday, May 9th, we reflect in a new edition of the Cañada Blanch Dialogues on Europe’s position and strategy in the face of the new geopolitics. To do so, we will hear from José Mª de Areilza Carvajal, Professor at ESADE Business School, holder of the Jean Monnet Chair at ESADE, and Secretary General of Aspen Institute España, and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, Princess of Asturias Chair and Director of the Cañada Blanch Centre at the London School of Economics, under the moderation of our President, Dr. Juan Viña.

In the words of José Mª de Areilza:
“We have entered a new geopolitical era marked by intense rivalries. Some defining features of this increasingly unstable environment include the rise of China, the international withdrawal of the United States, the growing relevance of powers from the Global South, and the lack of independent defense capabilities in European countries.

The defining characteristic of this period is that national security—rather than shared prosperity—has become the top priority. Moreover, security is now an expanding concept: it includes not only defense but also energy, trade and investment, disruptive technologies, health, and immigration. In a world where the use of force is increasingly present, interdependence is more often perceived as vulnerability, and political debate revolves around the divide between open and closed countries.”

Is Europe prepared for this new scenario? How can the EU leverage the idea of “indispensable allies” on both sides of the Atlantic? Through this dialogue, we will explore these critical questions for Europe’s future together with our distinguished guests.

About José Mª de Areilza Carvajal

José M. de Areilza is a Professor at ESADE Business School and holder of the Jean Monnet Chair-ESADE. He is also a Member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and Vicepresident of the Spain-USA Council Foundation and is a Trustee of the Spanish Navy Museum. He has been a Visiting Professor at INSEAD Business School, Fontainebleau, London Business School and WIlliam and Mary School of Law, Virginia. He has worked as Advisor to the Spanish Prime Minister on European and North American affairs. He is the Director of the magazine Politica Exterior and writes a weekly column on international affairs at the ABC newspaper. José M. de Areilza received an LL.B. degree with Special Graduation Prize from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and holds a Masters degree (LL.M.) and a Doctorate degree (S.J.D.) from Harvard University and a M.A. from The Fletcher School.

About Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

Andrés Rodríguez-Pose is Professor of Economic Geography and Princess of Asturias Chair at the London School of Economics. He directs the Cañada Blanch Centre at LSE, has served as Head of the Department of Geography and Environment, and is currently Professor of Economic Geography at the same university. He chairs the High-Level Group on the Future of Cohesion Policy, tasked with designing the EU’s post-2027 Cohesion Policy.

He has been President of the Regional Science Association International (RSAI) and previously served as its Vice President and Secretary. He was also Vice President and Secretary of the European Regional Science Association.

Rodríguez-Pose has conducted extensive research on regional growth and inequality, fiscal and political decentralization, institutions, discontent and populism, innovation, migration, and development policies and strategies. His influential research is frequently used by policymakers and he regularly acts as an advisor for international organizations and governments. His work is widely cited in academic circles. For three of the past four years, he has been recognized as the top-ranked researcher worldwide in urban and regional studies by the Stanford ranking, which identifies the top 2% of scientists across all disciplines. He has also been included in Clarivate’s Web of Science Highly Cited Researchers list for the past five years.

His accolades include the 2018 ERSA Prize in Regional Science, the highest award in the field, and Honorary Doctorates from Utrecht University (Netherlands) and Jönköping University (Sweden).

About Juan Viña

Juan Viña Ribes (JRViña), MD, PhD, is the President of Fundación Cañada-Blanch and a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Valencia. He served as Director General of the Research Foundation of the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia – INCLIVA Health Research Institute (2000–2012). His international research career has included positions at The Metabolic Research Laboratory, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, Radcliffe Infirmary, University of Oxford (UK); the Department of Anesthesia, Hershey Medical Center (USA, Assistant Professor); and the Department of Physiology, The Chicago Medical School (Visiting Research Professor), over the course of a decade. He has published over 100 articles in high-impact international journals and has participated in more than 30 competitive research projects. He holds six official six-year research evaluation periods and has supervised fifteen doctoral theses. He was awarded the DANONE Scientific Career Award (2011). He is a Full Academician and Secretary General of the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Valencian Community, a Full Member of the Academy of Pharmacy of the Valencian Community, and President of the External Scientific Committee of the Biobizkaia Health Research Institute (Hospitals of Cruces, Barakaldo, and Galdakao).