Javier Cremades, President of the World Jurist Association, President and founder of Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados, and a Numerary Member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors (READ), hosted the forum “Iberian Horizon,” organised by the Chair of the Ibero-American University Foundation, on 13 February at the auditorium of the law firm Cremades & Calvo-Sotelo Abogados, a collaborating institution. The session’s main guest was the former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel García-Margallo, and it was moderated by Rafael García Millán, a lawyer in Spain and Portugal and partner in the firm’s Tax Department.
The meeting served as a space for reflection on relations between Spain and Portugal and on the principal political, economic and social challenges within the Iberian sphere. To this end, it brought together representatives from academic, legal and institutional circles. As highlighted by the Chair, the forum underscored the importance of strengthening ties between the two countries and consolidating frameworks of cooperation capable of articulating, from a geopolitical, linguistic and cultural perspective, a pan-Iberian space or, as the organisers themselves defined it, an area of “Iberophony” within a rapidly changing international context.
During the session, García-Margallo analysed this strategic peninsular alliance and addressed relevant geopolitical issues, including the situation of Ceuta and Melilla, Western Sahara, Gibraltar, and the role of cities in cross-border cooperation. “I am very concerned about the situation Spain is going through and the uncertain future that awaits us. All decisions are being taken not with Spain’s interests in mind, but rather according to what is electorally convenient,” the former minister stated during his intervention, criticising the predominance of partisan interests over foreign policy considerations. The debate also highlighted the mutual intelligibility between Spanish and Portuguese as a basis for strengthening geocultural and political cooperation among Iberophone countries, as well as the importance of promoting academic and university initiatives that consolidate this international space.
Dr. Javier Cremades
An internationally renowned professional, Cremades is the author of numerous reference works such as “La energía secuestrada: desmontando los mitos del fundamentalismo energético,” “Micropoder. La fuerza del ciudadano en la era digital,” and his most recent book “Sobre el imperio de la ley,” in which he expands and gives a more reflective and accessible dimension to the address of the same title that he delivered upon his admission to the Academy in December 2022. He is a member of the editorial boards of several legal publications and a regular contributor to media outlets including the newspapers “El País,” “ABC,” “El Mundo,” “Expansión” and “Diario 16,” as well as television channels such as CNN, Antena 3 and Televisión Española.
The academic has also led several editions of the prestigious international World Law Congress and conducted an independent audit on cases of sexual abuse within the Church at the request of the Spanish Episcopal Conference. Among his professional distinctions, he was named Lawyer of the Year in Spain by the magazine “Forbes” in 2015 and Lawyer of the Year in the World by the World Jurist Association in 2017. He holds honorary medals from the bar associations of Madrid, Barcelona and Málaga, as well as the National Jurisprudence Award of Mexico. In addition, he was recognised by the Fundación Independiente as Universal Spaniard 2024.
