The 45th Edition of the EHU Summer Courses Champions Shared Knowledge as a Guarantee for the Future of Democracy
Lehendakari Imanol Pradales officially inaugurated the 45th edition of the EHU Summer Courses at Miramar Palace, where Daniel Innerarity delivered the opening lecture, The Future of Democracy | Demokraziaren etorkizuna.
More than 150 people attended the official opening ceremony of the 45th edition of the University of the Basque Country (EHU) Summer Courses, held this afternoon at Miramar Palace in Donostia-San Sebastián, the main venue of the Summer Courses. The ceremony was presided over by Lehendakari Imanol Pradales and featured the opening lecture, The Future of Democracy | Demokraziaren etorkizuna, delivered by Daniel Innerarity.
With this event, the Summer Courses have officially launched an edition that is already underway and will, through the end of September, bring together thousands of participants across 133 Summer Courses and 29 workshops held at different venues. Under the motto "You Think, Therefore We Exist", this year's programme invites participants to engage in a collective reflection on some of the defining challenges of our time, including democracy, care, health, artificial intelligence, sustainability, innovation, culture and social cohesion.
Alongside the Lehendakari, the ceremony was attended by Joxerramon Bengoetxea, President of the EHU Summer Courses Foundation and Rector of the University of the Basque Country; Laura Poderoso, Deputy Director of the BBVA Foundation; Irune Berasaluze, Deputy for Governance of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa; Jon Insausti, Mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián; and Idoia Otaegui, Academic Director of the EHU Summer Courses.
During his address, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales warned that the international context is experiencing growing uncertainty and instability, placing democratic systems under increasing pressure from multiple directions. Against this backdrop, he highlighted the role of science and advanced knowledge not only as drivers of competitiveness, social cohesion and improved quality of life, but also as fundamental pillars for sustaining coexistence and strengthening democratic culture. In this regard, he called for a firm commitment to reinforcing research, education and knowledge as essential tools for addressing the challenges of both the present and the future.
One of the highlights of the ceremony was the opening lecture, The Future of Democracy | Demokraziaren etorkizuna, delivered by Daniel Innerarity, Professor of Political Philosophy, Ikerbasque Research Professor at the University of the Basque Country (EHU), and Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance. During his lecture, he argued that the future of democracy is not predetermined but will depend on societies' ability to adapt it to a constantly changing world. According to Innerarity, democracy will only have a future if it is capable of renewing itself and ensuring its viability in the face of today's political, social and technological challenges.
Idoia Otaegui, Academic Director of the EHU Summer Courses, described the Summer Courses as an ecosystem of knowledge, reflection and learning open to society as a whole, where individual thinking is transformed into collective knowledge. She explained that the motto "You Think, Therefore We Exist" captures the spirit of this 45th edition: listening, engaging in dialogue and thinking together at a time marked by increasing polarisation and the rapid consumption of information.
She also stressed that this year's programme offers an integrated perspective that places people and their living conditions at its core. Over the coming months, the Summer Courses will address topics including care, health, technological transformation, artificial intelligence, democracy, governance, culture, education, sustainability and social cohesion, with the aim of fostering reflection and debate that contribute to both personal and collective progress.
In the same vein, Irune Berasaluze, Deputy for Governance of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, emphasised that sharing knowledge, listening to one another and giving people a voice strengthens democracy. She noted that the Summer Courses help build a more open, equal and democratic Gipuzkoa and Basque Country, capable of understanding new realities while remaining true to the values that underpin social coexistence.
Jon Insausti, Mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián, highlighted the need to preserve spaces for reflection in a society characterised by acceleration and information overload. He pointed out that, in contrast to immediacy and polarisation, the Summer Courses provide an essential forum for thoughtful debate, scientific rigour and shared reflection. He also argued that meeting the challenges of the future requires knowledge, evidence and scientific rigour, and thanked the Summer Courses for encouraging citizens to engage in reflection on the major collective challenges facing society.
Laura Poderoso, Deputy Director of the BBVA Foundation, highlighted the institution's 37 years of collaboration with the Summer Courses and noted that the initiative has become a benchmark for dialogue, reflection and the exchange of ideas. She also reaffirmed the Foundation's commitment to projects that bring knowledge closer to society, foster critical thinking and contribute to scientific, technological and humanistic progress.
Finally, Joxerramon Bengoetxea, President of the EHU Summer Courses Foundation and Rector of the University of the Basque Country, underlined that the Summer Courses provide a space for discussing and contrasting ideas that enable society to respond collectively to today's challenges. Referring to this year's motto, "You Think, Therefore We Exist," he stressed the need to move from individual reflection towards shared action, recovering the European vision of the common good and strengthening social solidarity. "Continuing to place our trust in democracy means believing that it has a future, and that future will depend on the decisions we make together," he concluded.
