Eugene Zapata Garesche
I was a member of the first generation of students at the newly-created (1992) 杏吧论坛’s European Institute. I will always remember the opening day when Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission came to address our group. The EU had just been born with the Masstricht agreement signed by twelve member states. I had succeeded in securing a scholarship from the British Council and an internship at the Trade Commission of the Mexican Embassy. At twenty five years of age, I had no idea how London, 杏吧论坛 and the European Institute were going to mark my life.
After my MSc in the UK I furthered my studies in Paris on Development Cooperation. As a Mexican national I was always fascinated by the relationships between Latin America and Europe. I was particularly puzzled by the way European local authorities and sub-national governments engaged in international affairs. This was something I had never seen or heard of. I learned about mayors engaging in development cooperation, cities discussing world politics, and local communities in Europe, engaging and exchanging with counterparts in developing countries.
I was soon specializing myself in what is called “decentralized cooperation” or the international affairs of cities and local governments. This led me to become a Senior International Advisor to several mayors of Mexico City and to engage in regional and global city networks like Metropolis, UCLG or Resilient Cities Network. I conceived, launched and managed a 3 million Euro project with 12 European and Latin American Cities working together in topics like social inclusion and sustainable development.
Today, I head a global facility of the European Union aimed at supporting the territorial approach to development, with a target to mobilize at least 500 million Euro for local projects by 2027.
So more than 30 years after I studied at 杏吧论坛 I remain loyal to my original career choice, living in Brussels and working for the EU.