On March 25th, 26th, and 27th, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina opened its doors to the first meeting of the Jean Monnet Network Policy Debate “BRIDGE Watch: values and democracy in EU and Latin America”, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, which is the largest Jean Monnet project currently underway in Latin America. The seventh event is a continuance of the predecessor project, the BRIDGE Project, finalized in 2023.

In the person of Professor Aline Beltrame de Moura, the university welcomed the professors who compose the network and other special guests, featuring a series of academic meetings and activities, including the presentation of 30 speakers from LatinAmerica and Europe. The event was held in a hybrid format and counted with the participation of 350 people, both online and in person in the beautiful island of Florianópolis, Brazil.

On the first day, the Beneficiaries of the project held an internal meeting to discuss the implementation of the project. After that, starting at 7 PM, the Seminar entitled “Rule of Law in Latin America and Europe” was held in collaboration with the Brazilian Bar Association – Santa Catarina Section (OAB-SC).

The Seminar featured renowned authorities to discuss the central theme of the event: Rui Guerra da Fonseca (Judge at the Supreme Court of Portugal); Luis Felipe Salomão (Minister of the Superior Court of Justice of Brazil); Dante Negro (Director of the Department of International Law of the OAS); Sônia Bridi (Brazilian Journalist at TV Globo); Nuno Cunha Rodrigues (President of the Competition Authority of Portugal); and Santiago De Luca (Alternate Arbitrator in the Mercosur’s Permanent Tribunal of Revision for Argentina).

On the mornings of March 26th and 27th, 2024, it was time for the Rounds of Discussion. In the FAPEU Auditorium, at the University Campus – UFSC, the Round Tables fostered in-depth discussions on the Rule of Law and Democracy, with 13 contributions from BRIDGE Watch project professors and other guests.

The first panel, led by Professor Arno Dal Ri Júnior (UFSC, Brazil), focused on the Principles and Foundations of the Rule of Law, with the following lectures: Elementos fundamentales del Estado de derecho, by Professor Roberto Jesús Ruiz Díaz Labrano, (Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay); Pluralismo jurídico y Derechos de las Mujeres Indígenas en el Estado Constitucional de Derecho, by Professor Ena Carnero Arroyo (Universidad Nacional de Trujillo, Peru); and Elección de magistrados de altas cortes y su relación con el Estado de Derecho y la democracia, by Professor Boris Wilson Arias López (Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia).

Next, the panel on Challenges to the Rule of Law: Regional Approaches, led by Professor Joana Stelzer (UFSC, Brazil), had the following speeches: El Estado de Derecho en la Unión Europea hoy, by Professor Mario Torres Jarrín (Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Spain); The rule of law and international law. Latinoamerican perspectives, by Professor Manuel Becerra Ramírez (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México); and Resisting the Inter-American Rule of Law: Non-Democratic attacks to the legitimacy of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, by Professor Walter Arévalo-Ramírez (Universidad del Rosario, Colombia).

To start the second day, Professor Diego Nunes held Panel 3 on Democracy and Electoral Systems, discussing the following topics: La madurez del sistema democratico y la alternancia en el sistema democratico argentino, by Professor Santiago Deluca (Universidad del Salvador, Argentina); and El sistema electoral de Argentina: ventajas y críticas de la Ley de Primarias, Abiertas, Simultáneas y Obligatorias (PASO), by Professor Alejandra Díaz (Universidad del Salvador, Argentina).

Right after, Panel 4 on Rule of Law and Protection of Individual Rights was conducted by Professor Cristina Mendes Bertoncini (UFSC, Brazil), hosting the following discussions: Sistemas judiciais, fundamentação das decisões e Estado de Direito, by Professor Naiara Posenato (Universitá Degli Studi di Milano, Italy); and Propriedade intelectual e estado de direito: fatores fundamentais para promover a inovação, by Professor Fabiola Wüst Zibetti (Universidad de Chile, Chile).

The last panel was moderated by Professor Cristiane Derani (UFSC, Brazil) and heard the following speeches: La Constitución Española y el Derecho Internacional Privado, by Professor Beatriz Campuzano Díaz (Universidad de Sevilla, Spain); El rol del Estado de Derecho en Ecuador y su lucha contra el terrorismo en la configuración de la paz y la seguridad regional sudamericana, by Professor Danilo Vicente García Cáceres (Universidad Central del Ecuador); and Estado de derecho e indicadores: Analizando el WJP Rule of Law Index y sus principales resultados para la región y el caso uruguayo, by Professor Pablo Guerra Aragone (Universidad de la República, Uruguay).

On the afternoon of March 26th, the Beneficiaries gathered to discuss the administrative aspects of the Bridge Watch Report.

By its turn, on the afternoon of March 27th, 2024, it was time for the Workshop on “Rule of Law in Latin America and Europe”. The workshop featured the presentation of seven articles, previously selected through the Call for Papers, with works originating from Brazil, Colombia, Italy, Paraguay, and Argentina.

This was the first of 6 events that will be organized during the 3 years of implementation of the Bridge Watch Project. The project is a collaboration between 14 Latin American and European universities led by the University of Lisbon and Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina and aims to strengthen ties and mutual understanding between the European Union and Latin America.

The Organizing Committee thanks the presence of all participants, speakers, moderators and the team who made this meeting possible.

The next event of the Bridge Watch Project will take place in October in Asunción, Paraguay, at Universidad Nacional de Asunción.