King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended a session of the Scientific Committee of the Elcano Royal Institute to learn about the international impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon their arrival, the King and Queen were greeted by the President and Director of the Institute, Emilio Lamo de Espinosa and Charles Powell, who made a presentation to the royals on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Spain and the global community. The royals were also joined by Pedro Duque, the Minister of Science and Innovation.
Following this first presentation, King Felipe and Queen Letizia attend the Scientific Committee’s session and listened as four experts spoke of the COVID-19 response and situation in four key geopolitical areas.
According to the Royal House, the four presentations were on the COVID-19 situation in China and the rest of Asia (presented by Alicia García Herrero. Senior Associate Researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute, Chief Asia-Pacific Economist at NATIXIS, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and currently an Associate Professor at City University of Hong Kong); the situation in America (presented by Moisés Naím Senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace International Economics Program); the situation in Africa (presented by Ibrahim Mayaki. Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency); and the situation in Europe (presented by Nathalie Tocci, Director of the Affair Internazionali Institute).
The Scientific Committee meets once a year to discuss international scientific issues but their May meeting was postponed due to the pandemic. The Elcano Royal Institute is a “think-tank of international and strategic studies, carried out from a Spanish, European and global perspective,” according to the Royal House.
“Its objective is to promote in society the knowledge of international reality and the foreign relations of Spain, as well as to serve as a focus of thought and generation of ideas that are useful for decision-making by political decision-makers, leaders of private companies and public institutions, social and academic agents.”
