“Disseminating Europe” - University research team work on fundamental rights in the EU and their application in Latin America
The European Union and Fundamental Rights research team, based at the Law Faculty of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) has been up and running for some 15 years now. It is made up of 12 members of the teaching staff from the UPV/EHU and seven external teachers (from the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, the Complutense in Madrid, the University of Navarra, the University of Reykiavik and the Ikerbasque Centre). Amongst these there are nine professors, a judge of the European Court of Human Rights, a lawyer from the Spanish Constitutional Court and an ex-judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities. Mr Gurutz Jauregi, Professor of Constitutional Law, leading the group, says: “We focus on the research and development of fundamental rights in the European Union, but we also encompass many other matters related to the process of integration”. In fact, it does not limit itself to law, but also encompasses aspects related to political sciences, governability, globalisation and even the economy. “Our scope of activity is quite extensive, having people specialised in diverse matters”, explained Mr Jauregi. Political institutions, EU powers over immigration, policies of cooperation, the functioning of the EU Court of Justice, the regions… the list is interminable, as are their corresponding activities. Amongst all the activities there is one which Mr Jauregi describes as “highly interesting” and which he mentions as outstanding amongst future projects: “We are working with Latin America in explaining the integration processes of the EU to the people there in order to favour processes of regional integration in Latin America”. For a number of years now the UPV/EHU has been teaching an official PhD programme, ascribed to the Department of Government and Constitution Law, in a number of Latin American countries. Previously, Latin American students of this discipline had to travel to European universities in order to obtain their doctorates. Now, lecturers from the UPV/EHU, various members of this group amongst them, travel to countries such as Brazil, the Dominican Republic or Chile. “The American students obtain the UPV/EHU PhD degree and are doctor of the university”, explained Mr Jauregi. Within this programme, involving some ten Latin American universities, the members of the group analyse the possibilities of promoting regional integration processes in Latin America, similar to those in the EU. The Latin American PhD course is not the only one given by members of the UPV/EHU team. The university also offers a research master in political and economic integration into the EU, and a postgraduate course on regional integration in the EU, amongst others, apart from many other courses at other universities. Mr Jauregi pointed out that the team is undertaking a highly specialised research and teaching activity and, thereby, is not carrying out any great information programme aimed at the public at large: “Nonetheless, we have been organising for a number of years now, through the Asmoz Foundation of Eusko Ikaskuntza, specialised courses aimed at civil servants, graduates and so on.” We are talking about “disseminating Europe”, states Mr Jauregi, although he adds that these times are not propitious in this respect. “There is a significant setback taking place in guaranteeing fundamental rights. There were already setbacks of a political nature in highly sensitive areas such as immigration control, and which personally I think scandalous. And now, with the financial crisis, there is a tremendous setback in the development of the welfare state. A lot still has to be done in favour of fundamental rights in the EU, and this is what we are involved in”, he explained. Teaching, thus, takes up a significant part of the work of the team. They also carry out consultancy tasks for government bodies. But, above all, a lot of research. Witness to this is the volume of publications over the last three years: five monographs, 35 chapters of books and other articles in scientific journals. And how does one research Law? “You have to read a lot; a lot has to be interpreted. In Law, a phrase, an article, a paragraph of the Constitution or of any other such document, no matter how short, is open to a great deal of interpretation”. So what is involved is a science that is much more “value-judgemental” than the so-called experimental sciences, but equally relevant: “Our task is very important, because we have a lot of influence, although not as much as we would like, on judges and legislators”.
Countries
Spain