A strong and responsible European Union (EU) is crucial for the future of its member states as well as the continent as a whole. However, the various crises the EU has been confronted with over the past years and decades are becoming a test of endurance. In the face of a quickly warming climate, war in the direct neighborhood of the EU, a still ongoing global pandemic, and various economic challenges (often related to these crises), the question arises how the EU as an organization can evolve to become the stabilizing force it needs to be. In this talk, Wilhelm Molterer, will directly tackle the question of how the EU can face up to the mentioned crises, and how it can become an organization fit for a challenging future.
About the speaker: Wilhelm Molterer is the former Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister of Austria and chairman of the Austrian People’s Party. He has held several high-level positions in the public sector over the course of his career. For several years, he was Managing Director of the European Fund for Strategic Investments. He is also the former Vice President of the European Investment Bank and from 1994 to 2002, he served as the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.
The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion. Panelists include: Martin Kahanec, (Professor and Head of Department, DPP), Marie-Pierre Granger (Associate Professor, DPP) and Rainer Münz (Visiting Professor, DPP).