{"id":19723,"date":"2026-01-27T08:55:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cicae.com\/zaragoza-is-becoming-the-city-of-debate-nearly-300-students-from-all-over-spain-will-debate-whether-european-countries-should-increase-their-military-spending\/"},"modified":"2026-10-15T13:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T13:41:20","slug":"zaragoza-is-becoming-the-city-of-debate-nearly-300-students-from-all-over-spain-will-debate-whether-european-countries-should-increase-their-military-spending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cicae.com\/en\/zaragoza-is-becoming-the-city-of-debate-nearly-300-students-from-all-over-spain-will-debate-whether-european-countries-should-increase-their-military-spending\/","title":{"rendered":"Zaragoza is becoming the city of debate. Nearly 300 students from all over Spain will debate whether European countries should increase their military spending."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tomasa Hern\u00e1ndez, the Regional Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports of Arag\u00f3n, opened the competition at the British School of Arag\u00f3n.<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

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Zaragoza, January 23, 2026 \u2013 The British School of Aragon has kicked off a new edition of the CICAE-UCJC Debate League<\/strong>, the school debate<\/strong> tournament with the highest participation in Europe. The event featured a special opening ceremony presided over by Tomasa Hern\u00e1ndez, the Aragon Regional Government\u2019s Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports,<\/strong> who joined the school\u2019s principal, Miguel Cendegui, in opening the academic conference. <\/p>\n\n

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During her remarks, the councilor highlighted the importance of this type of initiative for the Aragonese education system, emphasizing that critical thinking and public speaking are essential cross-curricular skills for 21st-century citizens. Tomasa Hern\u00e1ndez highlighted the role of Zaragoza as the host city for an event that brings together talent from across the country. <\/p>\n\n

In this edition, the students tackled a challenge of great geopolitical significance, debating whether European countries should substantially increase their military spending, even if that means cutting other budget items. A total of 70 teams were evaluated by a panel of 40 judges who are experts in public speaking. The format of the tournament required participants to defend positions they had not known until just minutes before each debate, which demanded objective, rigorous, and evidence-based analysis. <\/p>\n\n

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The teams do not know whether they will be assigned to the \u201cfor\u201d or \u201cagainst\u201d side until the draw held before the debate, which forces them to prepare for all positions in order to broaden their knowledge and maintain an open mind. This premise is key to fostering critical thinking and acceptance of the diversity of opinions generated by a current issue as complex as the one that kicked off this tournament. <\/p>\n\n

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During the debates, the teams advocating for increased military spending argued that these measures are necessary to ensure national sovereignty, strengthen Europe\u2019s collective defense against new global threats, and fulfill international security commitments. <\/p>\n\n

For their part, opponents warned that prioritizing military spending could lead to a rollback of social rights, contradicting values of well-being and cooperation, as well as diverting essential resources from areas such as education and health care, which are fundamental to internal stability.<\/p>\n\n

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After two intense days of competition, the LOL Caracol team from Colegio San Patricio El Soto claimed victory in the Spanish category following a hard-fought final. In this category, the award for best female speaker went to Nuria Quero of the Hijo de Fergus, Brains La Moraleja team. In the English category, the team \u201cThe Hero\u2019s\u201d from SEK-Catalunya took first place, while the award for best speaker went to Oliwier, a member of the winning team. <\/p>\n\n

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