Josep Borrell

Josep Borrell is one of Europe's most authoritative voices on geopolitics, diplomacy, and the European Union's role in a rapidly fragmenting global order. As former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, he led EU diplomacy through the war in Ukraine, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and historic Security and Defence Partnerships with Japan and South Korea. Now serving as President of CIDOB, Barcelona's Centre for International Affairs, his academic foundation as an economist and decades navigating international relations inform strategic insights on European resilience, technological dependencies, and shifting power dynamics. Borrell equips audiences with frameworks to understand geopolitical uncertainty, offering practical lessons from crisis diplomacy that help organisations navigate regulatory shifts, declining multilateral cooperation, and the structural challenges facing Europe in maintaining global relevance.

During five years as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell steered EU diplomacy through the war in Ukraine, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and the rise of coercive geopolitics that tested the foundations of European unity. Before leaving office in late 2024, he concluded historic Security and Defence Partnerships with Japan and South Korea, marking the EU's first such agreements outside Europe and cementing a legacy defined by expanding Europe's global alliances at a moment when multilateral cooperation faced unprecedented strain. His tenure transformed how the EU engages with an increasingly fragmented world, shifting from a peace project conceived in the aftermath of war to an institution forced to confront confrontation, technological disruption, and the realities of strategic dependency.

Borrell's career spans decades of leadership across institutions and borders. He served as Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs, President of the European Parliament, and held senior roles including State Secretary for Treasury and Minister of Public Works, Transport, Telecommunications and the Environment. His academic foundation as an economist informs his approach to policy, grounding diplomatic strategy in economic reality and structural analysis. Since leaving the European Commission, Borrell has assumed the presidency of CIDOB, Barcelona's Centre for International Affairs, where he continues to shape debate on European strategic autonomy, the balance between economic integration and security, and the structural challenges facing Europe in maintaining global relevance. His recent thought leadership addresses the brutalisation of the international order, Europe's growing dependencies, and the implications of declining democratic norms. Through advisory work, high-level policy dialogues, and contributions to international forums, Borrell remains a vital voice on issues ranging from cybersecurity and climate change to digital sovereignty, human rights, and the defence of multilateral institutions such as the International Criminal Court.

Borrell equips audiences with the frameworks needed to understand and respond to geopolitical uncertainty. His presentations combine strategic foresight with practical lessons drawn from crisis diplomacy, offering organisations clarity on navigating tariffs, regulatory shifts, and the implications of a world where alliances are tested and power dynamics continue to shift. He addresses the realities of technological dependency, the rise of ideologies that challenge liberal democratic values, and the urgent need for Europe to adapt without abandoning its foundational principles. Whether exploring the future of the European Union, the diplomacy required to foster international collaboration in an era of fragmentation, or the lessons learned from supporting Ukraine through military, political, and economic measures, Borrell delivers insights that inform decision-making, inspire strategic thinking, and leave audiences better prepared to operate in a rapidly changing global environment.