On October 26th 2022, the EU-South American School on Global Governance, organised by the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and co-funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme, had the privilege of hosting Ambassador Ignacio Ybañez Rubio, the European Union Ambassador to Brazil. Ambassador Ybañez, a Spanish diplomat who previously served as the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, brought valuable insights during his enlightening talk on EU-Brazil Relations.

During his presentation, Ambassador Ybañez discussed strategic issues concerning the European Union's relationship with Brazil and Mercosur. The event was moderated by Professor Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida, the director of the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. Mr. Ybañez graciously took the time to respond to various questions from our students and encouraged a lively discussion on topics such as the EU-Mercosur agreement and the EU's sanctions against Russia.

Ambassador Ybañez's vast experience, including his tenure as the Ambassador of Spain to Russia and his roles as the Director-General for Foreign Policy and Multilateral Global Affairs and the Director-General for Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, provided valuable insights into the complexities of international relations.

The lecture was held in a hybrid format. In-person slots were prioritised for students of the EU-South American School on Global Governance. However, limited spots were also available to the general public for online participation via the Zoom platform.