What does it mean to be European? What unites us, and what kind of Europe do we want to build together?
These questions were at the heart of the EUTOPIA Summer School on European Identities, hosted by Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona from 6 to 10 July 2026. Around 50 students from eight countries came together on UPF’s Ciutadella campus for five days of lectures, workshops, debates, cultural activities and exchanges exploring the political, social and cultural challenges shaping Europe today.
European identity put into practice
The week opened with a welcome from Laia de Nadal, Rector of UPF, who described EUTOPIA as “European identity put into practice” through university cooperation and community building. She highlighted the Summer School as one of the clearest expressions of this approach.
The opening session also featured Jaume Duch, Minister for European Union and External Action of the Government of Catalonia. Reflecting on the challenges facing Europe, from climate change to digitalisation, he emphasised the importance of international cooperation and stronger connections between European regions and institutions. His message to the students was particularly relevant to the spirit of the week: Europe needs people capable of building bridges. He encouraged participants to contribute their knowledge and talent to addressing common challenges and shaping Europe’s future.
Discovering European identities from different perspectives
The question of identity took centre stage from the very beginning. The first roundtable brought together four experts with different national backgrounds: Maéva Despaux, UPF Predoctoral Researcher in Public International Law from France; Gábor Gyulai member of the Hungarian Helsinki Committee human rights organization from Hungary; Migle Laukyte Associate professor in Artificial Intelligence and Law at UPF from Lithuania; and Andrea Noferini, Professor in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at UPF, from Italy.
Their different perspectives showed that there is no single way of experiencing Europe. For some, European belonging provides a sense of connection to a wider community; for others, it becomes particularly visible when viewed from outside Europe. The discussion also explored how European identity might be strengthened, both internally and internationally, and how European cooperation can help develop more cross-cutting responses to shared challenges.
The following morning, Fernando Guirao, Jean Monnet Chair of History at UPF, invited students to look at the European project through a personal and national lens with the question: “What has the EU done for you?” Students were encouraged to consider how European integration has shaped their everyday lives, while also reflecting on how their answers may differ depending on their country’s history and relationship with the EU.
As the week progressed, these questions became increasingly connected to the institutions and policies that shape European life.
Understanding how Europe works
On the third day, Javier Arregui, Full Professor in UPF’s Department of Political and Social Sciences, led students through the institutional architecture and decision-making processes of the European Union.
The session explored the role of citizens in European governance, the relationship between European identity and policy efficiency, and a central question: how can institutional reforms strengthen European integration while reducing the democratic deficit?
Students also examined citizenship, migration and mobility with Silvia Morgades Gil, Senior Lecturer in Public International Law at UPF, including the democratic rights attached to EU citizenship and the ability of EU citizens to vote and participate politically across borders.
These discussions brought the European project closer to everyday experience — showing how questions of identity, citizenship and belonging are connected to the rights and opportunities people have across Europe.
From discussion to participation
The Summer School was not limited to lectures. Students were invited to actively engage with the questions being discussed.
During an Ideas Club Revisited: Student Voices on Europe and European Alliances session, facilitated by Roland Hinterholz from Ca’ Foscari University and Simone Rizzo, President of the EUTOPIA Student Council, participants reflected on three deceptively simple questions:
How European do I feel? What unites us? What kind of Europe do we want to build together?
The answers became an opportunity to explore different understandings of European identity and to consider how students themselves can contribute to the European university alliances shaping the future of higher education.
The programme also included a visit to the Parliament of Catalonia, where students discovered the institution’s role in exercising legislative power, approving the budget of the Generalitat and scrutinising government action. They also learned about the history of the building itself, originally constructed in the eighteenth century as the arsenal of the Ciutadella fortress before becoming the seat of the Catalan Parliament in 1932.
The visit offered a concrete connection between the discussions taking place in the classroom and the institutions where democratic decisions are made.
Europe beyond the classroom
Barcelona itself became part of the learning experience. Students explored UPF’s Art Track, discovering works created for the university by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists including Roy Lichtenstein and Antoni Tàpies.
They also visited the Santa Pau Recinte Modernista, discovering its extraordinary combination of architecture, art and history. Designed by Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the complex’s red-brick pavilions, mosaics, sculptures and stained glass once formed part of a functioning hospital and are now recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And one evening, the students swapped lecture rooms for the kitchen, preparing a traditional Spanish and Catalan menu under the guidance of local chefs from Cook and Taste — including gazpacho, paella and a traditional Catalan dessert. It was another reminder that cultural exchange can happen as naturally around a shared meal as it can around a seminar table.
Debating Europe’s future
The academic programme continued to tackle some of the most pressing questions facing Europe.
On the fourth day, Patricia García-Durán Huet, Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona, explored how markets and trade have shaped European integration and what this history might mean for Europe’s future.
The final sessions turned towards questions of security and priorities, asking “Guns or butter?”. As security threats increase and public budgets face competing demands, students considered how European governments can strengthen defence while continuing to protect economic and social priorities.
They then put their diplomatic and negotiation skills to the test in a European Parliament simulation led by Equipo Europa, working in teams to defend their positions on a draft legislative resolution concerning the creation of a common framework for a Unique European Passport.
A shared European experience
The week concluded with a closing colloquium, “The European project: current fragilities and strengths,” featuring Cristina Gallach, Executive Director of GWL Voices, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and former Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, as keynote speaker. The session offered students a final opportunity to reflect on the opportunities and challenges facing the European project.
The closing remarks from Josep Ibáñez, UPF Commissioner for EUTOPIA and International Programmes, returned to one of the most tangible expressions of European integration: mobility. He encouraged students to travel, discover the world and experience first-hand the extent to which they are Europeans — including the privilege of being able to move across EU countries without having to show their passports.
This spirit of mobility, exchange and cooperation captured much of what the Summer School was about.
EUTOPIA remains one of the clearest examples of what university cooperation across Europe can look like. Bringing together students from different countries and backgrounds created a space where European identity was not simply discussed as an abstract concept, but experienced through dialogue, collaboration, friendship and discovery.
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Article and photos by Maud Simon
