In this discussion, Wolfgang Petritsch (first High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Rainer Münz (former Professor at Humboldt University Berlin and Visiting Professor at DPP) take on and debate the future of Europe. More specifically, they will discuss how Europe can and should deal with war and instability in its neighborhood. Based on Wolfgang Petritsch’s experience in the Balkans, the conversation will circle around how an attacked country can be helped, how to deal with the aggressor, but also how repercussions of wars such as in the Balkans and now in Ukraine impact the political situations of European democracies. Which lessons can be learned from the various conflicts in former Yugoslavia in general? And how important are these lessons today to help Europe (and the wider West) deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine? After given our expert panelist the chance to explore these questions among them, the floor will be opened, and the public will be invited to join the debate.
About the speaker
Wolfgang Petritsch was the EU's Special Envoy for Kosovo (1998-1999), EU chief negotiator at the Kosovo peace talks in Rambouillet and Paris (1999), and then High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999-2002). He served as the Austrian ambassador to the UN in Geneva (2002-2008) and to the OECD in Paris (2008-2013), and was the Joseph A. Schumpeter Fellow at Harvard University (2013-2014). He is currently the President of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation.