A lecturer at Comillas ICADE, awarded for his trajectory in favour of digitalisation in Europe

Javier Ibáñez, lecturer at Comillas ICADE, co-founder of the Alastria Network Consortium and executive boardmanager of BlockStand SME Digital Alliance (EU COM), has been awarded by the European Lawyer's Union (Union des Avocats Européens, UAE) with the organisation's medal of honour for his professional and research career and as co-founder of the DLT digital ecosystem in Europe. "For me it is a satisfaction to be at the forefront of technology in Europe and because it is a recognition of my research career in digital law on a continental scale," said Ibáñez on receiving the award from Elizabeth de Boissieu, president of the UAE, at the annual congress held at the Malaga Bar Association, inaugurated by the mayor of the city and dedicated this year to the real estate sector and new technologies.

Each year, the European Lawyer's Union awards prizes to the most representative figures in law in the country in which the congress is held. In addition to Ibáñez, the winners were Carmen Alonso, President of the General Codification Commission - 2nd Section - of the Ministry of Justice, and Lecturer of Commercial Law at the Complutense University of Madrid; and Rosario Jiménez, Dean of the Registrars' Associations of Eastern Andalusia.

In addition, institutional medals were awarded to the Association of Property and Mercantile Registrars of Spain for their work in the field of innovation, and to Alastria, a public-private blockchain consortium that generates standards at European level and "is an example of a digital ecosystem for Europe," said Ibáñez. "For the University it means a lot, because Alastria was created at Comillas and has had its headquarters there since 2017; the award gives visibility to the university and reveals that the lecturers here have a very active role in the digital transformation, which is key to the economic and social development of Europe," says the lecturer.