AURELA Launch Event brings together researchers, diplomats and institutional partners at Sciences Po

The official launch of the research project Autonomy and Multilateral Reconfigurations: EU–Latin America Relations (AURELA) took place on 29 June at Sciences Po in Paris, bringing together researchers, institutional partners and

members of the diplomatic community to mark the beginning of the four-year CAPES-COFECUB research collaboration.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Luis Vassy, Director of Sciences Po, who praised the initiative and highlighted its relevance in the current geopolitical context. He also underlined that the project reflects Sciences Po's growing engagement with Brazil and builds upon the institution's longstanding tradition of academic cooperation with its partners in Latin America.

Project coordinators Kevin Parthenay (Université de Tours) and Rafael Mesquita (Federal University of Pernambuco) then introduced the audience to the origins of AURELA, its international research team, work plan and objectives. They emphasized the importance of strengthening academic dialogue between Europe and Latin America at a time of profound transformations in the international order.

"The question is no longer whether Europe and Latin America share common values. The question is whether they are capable of transforming this historical proximity into a capacity for action in a world that has once again become profoundly geopolitical", said Kevin in his remarks.

Following this general presentation, participants were introduced to the project's three thematic axes: Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Security and Emerging Technologies, and Fundamental Rights and Democratic Values. These themes were presented by members of the network, including Carlos Milani, Carola Klöck, Frédéric Ramel and Ana Paula Tostes, who outlined the main research questions and policy challenges that will guide the project's activities over the coming years.

The event concluded with a lively question-and-answer session, during which students, academics, journalists, and institutional representatives discussed the project's themes and their implications for contemporary EU-Latin America relations.

The launch gathered eight members of the AURELA consortium and representatives of the diplomatic community, including from the Embassy of Brazil in France and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, reflecting the project's strong policy-oriented dimension and its commitment to fostering dialogue between academia and public institutions.

Reflecting on the event, co-coordinator Rafael Mesquita highlighted the importance of the institutional support received throughout the launch. “We would like to thank all institutions that contributed to this occasion, specially the Embassy of Brazil in France and Sciences Po, for their valuable support in promoting the event” he said, adding that strong participation of researchers, diplomats and institutional partners reflected the relevance of strengthening academic cooperation between Brazil and France on issues of shared global importance.