The Diplomat
The Elcano Royal Institute held its second annual Board of Trustees meeting this Thursday, December 11, at its headquarters in Madrid. The meeting was chaired by its president, José Juan Ruiz. During the session, the 2026 Action Plan and the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan were approved, as well as the addition of Garrigues as a new member of the Board.
Among those attending the meeting were Xavier Martí Martí, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, former Prime Minister; María Dolores de Cospedal, former Minister of Defense, former President of Castilla-La Mancha, and Vice President of the Elcano Royal Institute; José Luis Escrivá, Governor of the Bank of Spain; and José Luis Bonet, President of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce. Eduardo Serra, former Minister of Defense and former President of the Elcano Royal Institute; Emilio Lamo de Espinosa, former President of the Elcano Royal Institute; and representatives from companies and universities.
The Institute’s Director, Charles Powell, and the Director of Programs, María Solanas, jointly presented the 2026 Action Plan. “In an increasingly changing and fragmented geopolitical context, and coinciding with the Institute’s 25th anniversary, the Plan aims to continue offering society rigorous analyses, from a Spanish perspective, on an increasingly complex and unpredictable global scenario,” the think tank stated in a press release. “It also seeks to generate useful ideas and proposals for decision-makers, both public and private,” it added.
The 2026 Action Plan maintains its structure around ten thematic areas to guide the research agenda: reconfiguration of the world order, the US and China; challenges to international peace and security; technology and geoeconomics; Latin America, a global actor; the future of Europe; Climate and energy transition; challenges and opportunities of the neighborhood; democracy and citizenship; globalization, development, and governance; and Spain’s influence and image.
These, in turn, are complemented by five cross-cutting themes—cities, culture, gender, migration, and global health—that run through various lines of work and are interconnected.
Regarding research output and activities planned for 2026, these will prioritize the elements that contribute to the reconfiguration of the world order, as well as other key areas of our work such as security and defense, both European and transatlantic; geoeconomics and technology; Latin America, in particular; the Euro-Latin American relationship in the geopolitical and commercial sphere; the Ibero-American space and Spain’s role; the future of Europe, with special attention to its reform and enlargement, the budgetary framework, security and defense, energy security, regulation, competitiveness, and industrial policy, as well as its external relations; and the geopolitics of the energy and climate transition.
Furthermore, the analysis will continue on regions crucial to Spain’s interests, such as North Africa and the Middle East, West Africa, and our southern and eastern neighbors, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, with a particular focus on China and India. They will also address key phenomena such as globalization and its evolution, international governance, development, global terrorism, disinformation, and challenges to democracy worldwide. Spain’s influence and image will remain a priority area of work, including culture, a theme that cuts across several of the aforementioned areas.
The president of the Elcano Royal Institute then presented the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan, whose objective, in a context of overwhelming information and increasing international complexity, is to provide “solid, rigorous, and relevant analyses.” To this end, José Juan Ruiz indicated that the Plan defines the planned initiatives and the resources and investments necessary to continue fulfilling the organization’s mission: to help Spanish society understand international realities and generate useful ideas for decision-makers in both the public and private sectors.
He also explained that the Plan is organized around four interconnected pillars: analytical excellence and global impact, to place the Spanish perspective at the forefront of international debates; talent, to make the Institute a preferred destination for the best global research community; emerging technologies, which multiply research, dissemination, and management capabilities, demonstrating that the responsible use of artificial intelligence enhances, rather than replaces, the analytical excellence of research; and governance, which consolidates the Institute’s unique model by reinforcing its pluralism, transparency, and balance.
The adoption of the Plan, as requested by the president to the members of the Board of Trustees, includes a balanced increase in resources that preserves the diversification of funding sources and avoids excessive dependence on specific actors.
Furthermore, the Board of Trustees approved the addition of a new member, Garrigues, an international legal and tax services firm and the largest firm by revenue in the European Union, with a presence in 12 countries.