Jacques Delors Agora 2025: Young Europeans in Barcelona Standing Up for the Future of the EU
One year after its first edition in Lisbon, the Jacques Delors Agora was held in Barcelona from 8 to 11 July 2025, on the occasion of the centenary of Jacques Delors’ birth. Organised by the Academia Europea Leadership, in cooperation with the Académie Notre Europe and the Scuola di Politiche, this second edition brought together 120 young people from over 25 nationalities, gathered to debate the future of the European project in an era of major geopolitical, climate, and institutional shifts.
Over four days, these young participants formed a true, albeit temporary, European community, characterised by strong group cohesion, constant dialogue, and a shared desire to take action for Europe. This spirit found full expression not only in the discussions, but also in moments of conviviality—particularly during the visit to the Sagrada Família.
An Agora in Direct Dialogue with Current European Affairs
The Agora was opened by Francesc Pardo i Bosch, Director of the Academia Europea Leadership, followed by Núria Montserrat Pulido, Catalan Minister for Research and Universities. From the start, the tone was set: reject resignation and carry a renewed European ambition.
In a passionate speech, Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, called on youth to become the “optimists of Europe”—a powerful appeal at a time when doubt is spreading across parts of the continent.
Several key figures in the European debate then punctuated the programme:
Danuta Hübner, on the EU’s prospects after the European elections
Elena Grifoni Winters, on Europe’s place in the new space race
Christine Verger & Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, respectively on political dynamics in the European Parliament and the institutional future of the EU
Phuc-Vinh Nguyen, on the future of the Green Deal
Ilke Toygür & Arancha González, respectively on the geopolitical reshuffling’s impact on the EU and on the new world order in light of Trump’s return
Nicole Gnesotto and Sylvie Matelly, on the concrete needs of a European defence policy
Pascal Lamy, who posed a stark question: “Europe: survival or decline?”
Geneviève Pons, on the achievements and limitations of the European Pact for the Oceans
Enrico Letta, who recalled the main conclusions of his report “Much more than a Market” delivered last year to the European Council
Key Institutional Moments
Participants had the opportunity to listen to Josep Borrell, former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, on Europe’s role in a world shaped by great-power rivalry. Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean, stressed the importance of a Europe closer to its citizens, including in southern regions and around the Mediterranean basin. The young participants also exchanged with Óscar Puente, Spanish Minister for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, in the context of a crucial transition for the EU’s ecological and economic future.
These discussions were complemented by participatory workshops, including one led by Sofia Fernandes and a world café on citizen engagement led by Carlos Pérez Padilla, along with significant institutional welcoming events: first at the Palau de la Generalitat, the seat of Catalan power, with an inspiring speech by Jaume Duch, and then at the Ajuntament de Barcelona, Barcelona’s city hall, where participants were welcomed by Maria Eugènia Gay. These two symbolic locations allowed the participants to grasp the interconnection between local, regional, and European identities.
A Living Laboratory of European Citizenship
The Jacques Delors Agora is more than a series of conferences: it is above all a living laboratory of European citizenship, where young people from all over Europe share their analyses, confront ideas, and build bridges between cultures and disciplines. This diversity—embodied by participants from across the Union and beyond—enriched both the formal debates and the informal moments where strong bonds were forged.
The certificate ceremony took place in the presence of the presidents and directors of the Academia Europea Leadership – Josep A. Duran i Lleida and Francesc Pardo i Bosch – and of the Académie Notre Europe – Enrico Letta and Sofia Fernandes – symbolising shared commitment and intergenerational transmission.
The Jacques Delors Agora 2025 comes to a close, but it opens a new chapter: one of a committed European youth, ready to carry forward collective reflection in service of a Europe that is not static or taken for granted, but a living project to be collectively nurtured and grown.
