Michel Camdessus

Born on 1st May 1933 in Bayonne, France, he studied at the University of Paris and graduated in Economics from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris and the French National School of Administration. He was managing director and president of the Board of Directors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 16th January 1987. On 22nd May 1996 he was appointed managing director for a third term of five years from 16th January 1997.

He chaired the Club de Paris from 1978 to 1984 as well as the Monetary Committee of the European Economic Community from December 1982 to December 1984. In August 1984 he was named assistant governor of the Bank of France, and, in November 1984, governor, a job he carried out until being named Managing Director of the IMF.

Román Chalbaud

Playwright, screenwriter and film director, born in Merida, Venezuela in 1931. Amongst his most noted theatrical works are Caín Adolescente (Teenage Cain) and El Pez que Fuma (The Smoking Fish), which he himself made into films. He has directed 22 films in his career, making him the most prolific director in Venezuela.

José María Lassalle Ruiz

Born in Santander in 1966, he was a representative of the Partido Popular in the 8th and 9th Legislatures. A Doctor of Law from the University of Cantabria. Professor of the History of Ideas in the Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. Secretary of Studies of the National Executive Committee of the Partido Popular. Author of the book Liberales.

José María Lassalle is an alternate member of the UIP, standing council, spokesperson of the Culture Commission, member of the Commission for Science and Innovation and full member of the Spanish Delegation of the Assembly of the Interparliamentary Union He has been an alternate member of the standing commission, member of the Education, Social Politics and Sport, member of the subcommission of the reform of law 23/2006 T.R Intellectual Property (154/10) and spokesperson for the project to reform the law relating to the benefits accruing to the authors of works of art (121/6).

Sami Naïr

Professor of Political Science and Director of the Andalusian Mediterranean Centre of the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville. He has also taught and given conferences in various universities around the world (USA, Latin America and Magreb). After being named interministerial delegate of Co-Development and International Migration of the French Government in 1998 he was a Euro MP between 1999 and 2004.

He is a regular contributor to many, newspapers: Le Monde, Libération in France, El Periódico de Cataluña in Spain etc. He is also a columnist in El País. He is the author of numerous books, including: Le Regard des vainqueurs, les enjeux français de l’immigration, Le différend méditerranéen, Mediterráneo hoy, Entre el dialogo y el rechazo, En el nombre de Dios, Une politique de civilisation, El desplazamiento en el mundo: inmigración y temáticas de identidad, Las Heridas abiertas, El peaje de la vida, La inmigración explicada a mi hija, Una historia que no acaba, El Imperio frente a la diversidad del mundo, Y vendrán… Las migraciones en tiempos hostiles, Un détournement, Nicolas Sarkozy et la “politique de civilisation”,  La Europa mestiza. Inmigración, ciudadanía, codesarrollo.

José María Ridao

Writer and diplomat born in Madrid in 1961, graduated in Law and Arab Philology, he joined the diplomatic service in 1987. In his first phase as a diplomat he was stationed in Angola, the Soviet Union, Equatorial Guinea and France. In 2000 he requested leave of absence to dedicate himself to literature. In 2004 he returned to his diplomatic career when he was named Spanish Ambassador to UNESCO by the Council of Ministers, a post which he carried out until his resignation in 2006, since which time he has been a member of the editorial board of the Madrid-based daily El Pais and a contributor to Cadena Ser radio.

As an author he has explored the essay and the novel, and is author of the following titles: Mar Muerto (Dead Sea) (2010), Por la Gracia de Dios (For the Grace of God) (ed.) (2008), Elogio de la imperfección (Elegy of Imperfection) (2006), Dos visiones de España (Two Visions of Spain) (ed.) (2005), Weimar entre nosotros (Weimar Among Us) (2004), La paz sin excusa (Peace Without Excuses) (2004), El pasajero de Montauban (The Passenger of Montauban) (2003), La elección de la barbarie (The Choice of Barbarism) (2002), El mundo a media voz (The World at a Whisper) (2001), La desilusión permanente (Permanent Disillusion) (2000), Contra la Historia (Against History) (2000), Excusas para el Doctor Huarte (Excuses for Doctor Huarte) (1999) and Agosto en el paraíso (August in Paradise) (1998).

Miguel Ángel Aguilar

Degree in Physical Science from the Complutense University in Madrid (1965) and certificate in journalism (1969). He took his first steps in the world of the press in the now defunct daily Madrid. An editorial about student riots caused him to be accused by the Public Order Tribunal in 1967. After the disappearance of the paper in 1971 he joined Cambio 16, who sent him to Brussels as correspondent (1972-1974).

After participating in the launch of the magazine Posible in 1977, he returned to Cambio 16 from 1978 to 1980. He later joined the daily El Pais as a columnist, where he remains, as well as writing for La Vanguardia, Cinco Días and El Siglo. In 1982 he founded the Spanish section of the Association of European Journalists. From 1986 to 1990 he ran the EFE agency. He has also been director of the daily El Sol and a columnist in Tiempo.

With the arrival of private television stations he joined the news department of Telecinco.  In 1992 he began to present the weekend news and later debates and the interview shows  Mesa de redacción (The Editor’s Table) (1993) and Hora límite (Deadline) (1995). He is currently a commentator and political analyst for various radio and television programmes.