On 25 January 2023, José María Méndez, CEO of CECA, attended the 33rd ordinary session of the Board of Trustees of the Carolina Foundation, held at Palacio de la Zarzuela and chaired by His Majesty the King.
The event brought together the President of the Government and Executive Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pedro Sánchez; the first Vice-President and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albaras.
As well as the Secretary-General for Latin America, Andrés Allamand, the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría; the Minister of Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta; the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats; the Secretary of State for Latin America and the Caribbean and Spanish in the World, Juan Fernández Trigo; the Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Pilar Cancela; the Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Antón Leis; the CEO for Latin America and the Caribbean, Enrique Yturriaga, and the Director of Cultural and Scientific Relations of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, Santiago Herrero.
Representatives of the patron companies included: the chairman of Abertis, Marcelino Fernández Verdes; the chairman of BBVA, Carlos Torres Vila; the chairwoman of El Corte Inglés, the chairman of ICO, José Carlos García de Quevedo; Marta Álvarez; the chairman of Havas Media Group Spain, Alfonso Rodés Vilà; the chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán; the chairman of Mapfre, Antonio Huertas; the chairman of Telefónica, José María Álvarez-Pallete López; the deputy chairman of the Board of Directors of Santander Spain, Juan Manuel Cendoya; the CEO and deputy chairman of the Repsol Foundation, Antonio Calçada de Sá; the CEO of SUEZ Madrid (AGBAR), Federico Ramos; the CEO of CECA, José María Méndez; and the corporate and institutional relations director of Grupo Prisa, Jorge Rivera.
In addition, the management team of the Carolina Foundation, comprising the Director, José Antonio Sanahuja, and the Secretary General and Managing Director, Hugo Camacho, also attended the meeting of the Board of Trustees.
The Board of Trustees approved the Foundation's 2023 Action Plan, geared towards promoting Latin American knowledge and cooperation, relaunching relations between Latin America and the European Union, and contributing to a "fair transition" in the areas of digitalisation, sustainability and social inclusion. It also approved the annual accounts for 2021 and appointed and renewed the appointments of several Board members.
During the session, the President of the Government referred to the Foundation's key role in intensifying relations between the European Union and Latin America on the basis of the strengthened institutional framework that will be pursued under the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council. He also stressed the importance of having public-private institutions, such as the Carolina Foundation, which pool strategies and resources to promote Spanish foreign action.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation then underlined how the institution's educational and analytical work has an impact on all dimensions of Latin American socio-economic and cultural life, and conveys the democratic, multilateral, inclusive and feminist vision of the government's foreign policy.
Meanwhile, the director of the Carolina Foundation explained the main lines of action for the year 2023, which are based on a reinforced investment in higher education and research associated with the "common good", institutional strengthening, gender equality and raising awareness regarding responsible citizenship. He also presented the most relevant findings of the study on the impact of the Foundation's scholarships, which confirms their role in terms of generating social value in the countries of origin.
