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His world is that of study, that of books. But he has also traveled behind the scenes of politics: in the 1980s he was on the advisory committee that created the autonomous system and in the still hopeful beginnings of UPyD he was its only MEP in Brussels .

Profound Europeanist, professor Francisco Sosa Wagner has just published an essay on one of the most convulsive times in Europe and which, nevertheless, laid its foundations: Grace and misfortune of the Holy Roman Empire. Montgelas: incipient liberalism (Marcial Pons).

French Revolution and Napoleon involved , Montgelas is an absolutely unknown but key figure in European history: the model of the learned politician.

The 20th century has been analyzed a lot, but the Holy Roman Empire has been in historical oblivion. What can be learned from it? Indeed, it is a period that has been studied very little. It was an attempt at European construction, a political conglomerate that lasted centuries and went through complex upheavals. Although it is very present in the history of Germany, here it is difficult to understand the existence of so many political units, of so many 'states', we could say: it housed between 300 and 400 microstates. It is very important for the legal world: how to tie the relationships of so many entities is very complex. It was the jurists who put order in that large political structure. How does a European Union (EU) avant la lettre? There are many similarities, yes. Who gave unity to those 300 political structures, how did they work? Through the emperor and some basic political institutions: the parliament and the courts of justice. An unprecedented mechanism was established: election instead of hereditary succession. Some princes, eight or nine, reserved the privilege of electing the emperor and drew up electoral capitulations to keep him well bound. From that territorial structure the German Länder were born. Can you also see a base for the Spanish communities? It was an important reference for the semi-federal system of Spain. What was the model that was taken here for autonomic mechanisms, at least initially? The German, as opposed to the North American. That is why German history is very important. You were in the commission to create the autonomies. Three decades later, do you think the system should be revised? Spain suffers the absolute bankruptcy of the system led by the Catalan and Basque separatists. There is no way a state can function with this poison in it. That the separatist forces are present in the institutions, Parliament and now in the government, destroys any possibility of advancing in the federal model. A federal model requires that everyone believe in the central power and that the central one believe in the territorial ones. The cancer of separatism should not be given quarter because it would destroy the very essence of the State. That said, yes you have to review the autonomies. How? Analyzing what has worked well and badly in the last 30 years. For this, the role of the experts is fundamental, not the politician who tells by hearsay or by word of mouth. In his book the idea of ​​'nation' appears when nations were not yet nations as we know them now, only territorial units. The concept of nation, in my opinion, does not mean much from a political point of view. Spain is a member state of the EU and I am satisfied with that. If it is also a nation, then great. In that sense, nations are the ones you want. The Lord of León or Zamora can be considered whatever they want, the absurdity is to think that a country can be made from any nation. Should the trend be to go macro, towards the EU? Totally. And the Brexit? The role of the EU is increasingly in question. And in the health crisis it has not shown much unity ... Taking advantage of the epidemic, the EU should have been present in the territories in a very clear way, sending doctors and nurses: the stars of the flag setting up hospitals and tents, distributing masks ... It's a mistake. And yes, countries have fallen back on their borders. But we must reinforce the idea of ​​Europe and demonstrate the existence of a common culture, that which unites us as Europeans. This is achieved through culture and symbols. In addition to European history, his book can be read as the perfect politician's manual through the figure of Montgelas. Montgelas is an absolutely unknown character in Spain. He became the all-powerful minister of Bavaria, which in the 18th century was an independent state. He was a progressive politician and scholar who saw the old regime crumble and the need to articulate new social and political relationships. It abolished the privileges of the nobility, promoted confiscations and some very advanced reforms. It had been formed in the history of the church, law, economics; He belonged to the society of the Illuminati ... That is the message for today's politicians: before starting to make reforms, they must be studied very well. Are today's politicians not at the level of the institutions? The lack of preparation of Spanish politicians is evidence. It is given in a resounding way. They should learn from Montgelas: when he promoted the Constitution of Bavaria in 1808, which was one of the most important in Europe, he had had it in his head for 20 years! The improvisation we see now is lamentable. We live in a time of abrupt change and must be approached from the knowledge and humility of study, not from frivolity or stupid slogans. No to the tweet, yes to the study.

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