Javier Vicente García

Born in southern Spain, through various coincidences he ended up studying law in Rome, whilst upholding Edmund Burke’s words, for which “No European can be in a complete exile in any part of Europe.”

Since then, he has been working as a lawyer in Barcelona, maintaining an eye on the rest of the world, with the idea that human beings everywhere are essentially the same and that those individuals who share our values are at the end of the day our fellow citizens.

One of his strongest beliefs is that institutions must be defended. And such defence must be extended as far as possible: democracy, equality and the rule of law are closely linked to the freedom of thought that was born in the salons of Paris, the cafes of Vienna and the clubs of London, and those ideas and places need guardians.

Perhaps that is why, if someone wishes to meet him outside of working hours, they would best look for him in a bar, with a glass of sherry in hand, speaking loudly, making his own the motto of his beloved Andalusia: “by itself, for Spain and humanity.”