Although he is a Business Studies and Law student, Fermín has been active in organizations like JEF since he arrived in the academic world, mostly focusing on International Law and the European Union. As well, he has focused on communication in all of its forms, whether it is written, spoken or visual, he has used his creativity to translate ideas into messages to empower the European youth. He currently works in Talento Para El Futuro, the first youth empowerment platform in Spain, as the external communications manager. Lastly, he has recently been elected as JEF Spain vice president, after being the communications chief for the past year.
Firstly, congratulations on becoming the Vice President of JEF Spain; it is quite an achievement. What first drove you to become interested in European politics and to join JEF?
Before becoming interested in the European Union and European Affairs, my first real exposure to these topics came through International Law during my Law degree. Until then, I had been much more focused on the internal aspects of Spanish Law, particularly Constitutional and Administrative Law.
However, when I discovered International Law, I signed up for my first Model United Nations — and instantly fell in love with it. I’ve participated in several since then, including my most recent one just a couple of weeks ago. During one of those MUNs, I met a friend who was part of JEF at the time. She introduced me to the organization and all the opportunities that came with it. Initially, I was mostly drawn in by the tangible benefits — attending events, institutional visits, and international seminars — without really paying much attention to the deeper values behind the movement.
Everything changed when another friend I met in JEF encouraged me to join the communications team. That’s when I started to truly understand what European federalism was all about — and I realized it wasn’t as far-fetched as I had first thought. The more I learned, the more motivated I became to get involved. Fast forward two years, and here I am as Vice President, trying to find the right balance between my studies, my job, and my work in the organization.
Given the current constitutional set up, your term of office will expire in December of 2025, giving you just under a year to push for the reforms that you have expressed that you want to implement at the organization. Can you tell us about some of these priorities for the coming year?
There’s definitely a lot to be done. Together with Laura, our President, we’ve mapped out several strategies to improve how JEF Spain operates. One of our top priorities is communication — both internal and external. Like many youth associations, keeping members engaged is one of the biggest challenges we face.
We want to give “being a JEFer” a whole new meaning — not just something you belong to, but something you actively participate in. One of the ways we’re doing this is by offering more opportunities for our members to contribute — for example, writing articles for our website or participating in new international experiences. However, we don’t just want to ask our members to give — we want to give back knowledge in return, whether through digital services we’re currently working on or by opening new international networking and learning opportunities through JEF Europe.
JEF Spain is one of the largest branches of JEF Europe, and as such its voice carries a lot of weight on the affairs of this pan-European organization. What do you think are some of the priorities that are important to push for at the continental level?
Right now, one of the biggest concerns — not just for JEF Spain but for many other sections across Europe — is the rising instability on the international stage, particularly with Trump’s return to the political spotlight. The future of democracy worldwide is at stake, and Europe must step up as the guardian of democratic values and human rights.
We see examples across the globe where human dignity is under threat, and if the United States is no longer willing to defend these principles, Europe must take on that responsibility — but only as a truly united Europe can we do so effectively. As the voice of the pro-European youth, JEF has a crucial role in pushing the EU to take the necessary steps to become stronger and more united. If we don’t act now, the consequences could be felt for decades.
As we know here at YEL, it can be rather difficult to push for change at the European level, especially when it comes to youth related topics. What sort of plans and strategies are you hoping to use to gain further attention and notoriety for JEF Spain, as well as to bring about the organization’s goals?
Our main goal is to make European federalism more widely known as a legitimate political option in Spain. As I often like to say: “Many people are federalists — they just don’t know it yet.”
A big part of the problem is that many citizens don’t fully understand how the EU works or how much it affects their daily lives. If they did, I’m convinced more people would support a more united Europe — probably even a federal one. That’s why one of our key strategies is to strengthen our presence in both media and institutions. As Vice President and Communications Officer, I feel the pressure to make this happen — but it’s a challenge I’m excited to take on.
On a lighter note, we’ve got some exciting projects in the works to help make JEF more visible to the public… but you’ll have to stay tuned to find out more!
As you are well aware, JEF Spain and YEL have recently signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding on which we have already had extensive cooperation. What sort of cooperation do you wish to engage on with YEL in the coming year, and where do you see that we can collaborate most effectively?
This MoU is a huge step towards building a truly European youth network capable of driving change. I believe that the pro-European values that JEF represents can be a great asset to YEL members when they represent European youth at international forums like Y7 and Y20.
At the same time, by working together, YEL and JEF can unlock far more opportunities than we could on our own — whether through advocacy, education, or simply building stronger connections between young Europeans. I genuinely believe this partnership has the potential to achieve great things.
What advice would you give to other young Europeans, in Spain and beyond, who are inspired by your work and hope to do something similar?
You never know where life is going to take you. For me, it all started with a search for extracurricular activities — and somehow, that journey led me to become Vice President of a national organization, land my current job, gain new skills, and meet incredible people along the way.
If you’d asked me three years ago, I would never have imagined this would happen — and to be honest, I still don’t know where this path will take me next.
So my advice is: don’t be afraid to take that first step — whether it’s jumping on a plane, signing up for a summer camp, or even just buying those concert tickets. You never know who you’ll meet or what opportunities will come your way. Even if you start out alone, you’ll find others who will join you along the way.