The Workshop NEIGHBOURHOOD, MIGRATIONS AND HIGHER EDUCATION COOPERATION was successfully held on 2 and 3 May 2023, within the framework of the activities of the Jean Monnet Module “IDENTITY AND EUROPEAN VALUES IN THE EXTERNAL BORDERS: RUSSIA AND THE EU NEIGHBOURHOOD. FROM THE BALTIC TO THE MEDITERRANEAN (EUBALMED)” in the Edificio Constitución 1812 – Antiguo Cuartel de la Bomba of the University of Cadiz.

The module, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Alejandro del Valle Gálvez, Professor of International Public Law and Director of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence “Immigration and Human Rights at European External Borders” and Dr. Lorena Calvo Mariscal, Professor of International Public Law and Academic Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, aims to explore European identity and values at Europe’s external borders, within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy with Eastern and Southern Europe.

This activity – the first of three to be held this year – addressed issues on “Immigration and Refugees at the European External Borders”, and “University Cooperation in times of crisis”, and was attended by numerous partners and collaborators from various partner institutions – Istanbul Bilgi University (Turkey), University of Manchester (UK), European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), Mykolas Romeris University (Lithuania), Mechnikov National University (Ukraine), Ibn Tofail University (Morocco), Caucasus University (Georgia), University of Tunis-El Manar (Tunisia).

The day of 2 May began with the round table entitled “Migration and Refugee in the External Borders of the EU. The case of Turkey and the United Kingdom”, moderated by Dr. Alejandro del Valle. The panel was opened by Dr. Büke Bosnak, Professor of International Relations at Bilgi University in Istanbul (Turkey). This was followed by Dr. Javier García Oliva, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), who gave a presentation entitled “UK Government Policy -Asylum Seekers and Rwanda”.

The second round table entitled “EUROPEAN UNION, MIGRATION AND COOPERATION WITH THIRD COUNTRIES ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA”, moderated by Dr. Jesús Verdú Baeza, included the intervention entitled “Ignoring the Human Element: Migration in the Mediterranean”, by Dr. Ángeles Jiménez García-Carriazo, Ramón y Cajal Researcher at the University of Cádiz. For her part, Dr. Lorena Calvo Mariscal, participated with her paper “Maritime Migration and Human Rights in the Mediterranean Sea: European Union and Member State’s Duty of Due Diligence”.

This first day concluded with the round table “Higher-Education Cooperation between partner universities (I)”, with the participation of Dr. Michel Remi Njiki, Director of the International Relations Office of the University of Cadiz, Dr . Jesús VERDÚ BAEZ, Director of the Aula UNIVERSITARIA DEL ESTRECHO, Dr. Fidel ECHEVARRÍA NAVAS, General Coordinator of The European University of the Seas (SEA-EU), and Dr. Vaidas JURKEVIČIUS, Professor at Mykolas Romeris University (Vilnius, LITHUANIA).

The conference on 3 May began with the round table entitled “EUROPEAN UNION, MIGRATION AND REFUGE IN TIMES OF CRISIS: UKRANIAN REFUGEES, HUMAN RIGHTS AND EUROPEAN VALUES IN THE EXTERNAL BORDERS OF THE EU”, moderated by Dr. Büke Bosnak. The speakers were Dr. Alejandro del Valle Gálvez and Dr. Olena -Nihreieva, Visiting Professor of International Public Law at the University of Cadiz and Professor at the National University of Odessa (Ukraine).

Following this, Dr. Lorena Calvo moderated the round table entitled “INFLUENCE OF OTHER ACTORS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE EUROPEAN NEIGHBOURHOOD”, with the participation of Dr. Anass Gouyez Ben Allal, Lecturer of Law and International Relations at Ibn Tofail University (Morocco). There was also a round table of papers presented by Doctoral Students and Researchers in the Area of International Public Law and International Relations, Mr. Enrique del Álamo Marchena, Ms. Cristina Castilla Cid, Ms. M.ª Ángeles Bellido Lora and Mr. Salvador Luna Múñoz.

Finally, the conference concluded with the second round table on “Higher-Education Cooperation between partner universities (II), with the participation of Mr. Andrés SANTANA – Director of the International University Centre for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CUNEAC), Dr. Marcela IGLESIAS-ONOFRIO, Coordinator of the Project “Innovation Sociale et Technologie Pour une Meilleure Employabilité des Femmes Tunisiennes (INSAF-Fem)” of the Erasmus+ Programme – K2 Capacity Building in the field of Higher Education, Dr. Sergi KAPANADZE, Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Caucasus and co-coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (Eupoltrans) (GEORGIA), and Dr. Asma NOUÏRA, Professor of Political Science at the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University of Tunis-El Manar (TUNISIA).

The workshop was attended by students from the Master’s Degree in International Relations and Migrations of the University of Cadiz, who together with the rest of the participants enjoyed a series of debates and round tables in which current issues were discussed and specific cases of migration and cooperation in the Mediterranean were debated, which concluded with a series of questions and issues on the ideas presented.