IEU Debate Club and the Royal Artillery Academy team took part in a debate this Wednesday, November 20th in the Royal Artillery Academy. The discussion topic was: “The European Union must be dissolved for the benefit of society,” where the Academy was against and the IEU Debate Club was in favor.
During the debate, both teams started by exposing and discussing the topic with data and examples with two models.
Royal Artillery Academy – the team against dissolving the European Union divided its main arguments into three pillars based on security/defense, geopolitics (focusing on topics like terrorism) and economy within the European facilities.
IEU Debate Club – the team in favor of dissolving the European Union used the same topics but from another perspective, using examples like how other countries outside of Europe act, as well as cases where countries members of the EU like Spain and Greece have faced issues or crisis.
The event not only consisted of the debate but also open questions from the public and a networking gathering. Students’ opinions on this event were positive, according to them, events like these brings students from IE and other communities such as the Royal Artillery Academy closer together.
“Outside from discussing such an important topic like the future of the European Union, this event helps on getting to know the students from the rest of the universities in Segovia”. – Julio Hermoso, Second Cadet in the Royal Artillery Academy.
Both IE and the Royal Artillery Academy students had the opportunity to ask the teams on more specific topics that worried them. One that generated most discussion was: “What is your opinion on how the moral crisis in the European values could affect the nationalist movement that has increased in the past years?” –
IE students shared praised the IEU Debate Club for bringing opportunities in which Segovians and IE students can mix as this was the second debate organized by the club. Particularly because of the different perspectives and backgrounds they have and how this broadens their knowledge.
“What I liked the most was sharing the perspective of our university with the cadets from the Royal Academy of Artillery and learning about the differences between both points of view coming from an authority, as it is the Artillery, and a group of students of IE”. – Elena Sastre, IE University student and member of the Debate Club.
“I’ve always loved events like this one, that brings Segovia, the city, which the Royal Artillery Academy is a part of, together with IE University. I’m very excited to see what comes out after this and what other events can get us closer to the city”. – Robert Wagner, IE University student and member of the team debating.
IEU Debate Club and the Royal Artillery Academy left an open door to the possibility of doing more debates and collaborations during the year. Both parties expressed their desire to make debates just like this one, a recurring annual event to consolidate the relationship between both.
“We could see that our university and other institutions were able to have a formal debate and a well-structured discussion and we are very happy with the result of it as a whole. Therefore we are talking with the Royal Artillery Academy on doing more events and have several coming up” – Oussama Chninak, moderator of the debate.