Transversal activities

Pulic Lectures

For upcoming Public Lectures please check out our News Feed from SCEUS or our Social Media!

Further information on some lectures can be found here:

Jean Monnet Lectures

Cash and the Digital Euro

Payment systems are undergoing profound changes. To shape this process for the future, the European Commission has published the “Digital Euro Package,” which aims to safeguard cash while introducing a digital euro. However, this reform package could also fundamentally transform the future of money.

Jean Monnet Lectures

The Crisis of Representation in Europe

European democracies are facing a profound crisis of political representation. Many citizens no longer feel represented by political elites, while populist movements are gaining support. This lecture examines the causes of this alienation, the challenges it poses for European integration, and possible approaches to restoring citizens’ trust in democratic institutions.

Jean Monnet Lectures

European Integration Put to the Test?

Border controls within the Schengen area, migration, the safeguarding of the rule of law, a shift to the right, and war in the immediate neighborhood. The European Union is facing challenges that shake its very foundations. What does this mean, and to what extent are these developments transforming the European Union?

Jean Monnet Lectures

Safeguarding Democracy in the EU

When governments in EU member states weaken independent courts, bring the media under their control, and make fair elections more difficult – how can Europe respond? The lecture highlights why democratic backsliding, as seen in Hungary, does not stop at national borders and explores which strategies the EU might pursue to achieve success.

Jean Monnet Lectures

“Free Trade is Finished”

The world of yesterday is gone. In the new age of power politics, Europe risks being squeezed between the USA, Russia, and China. While the pandemic painfully exposed Europe’s dependence on foreign trade and Putin uses energy exports as a weapon, Trump & Co. are dismantling precisely those global trade rules that once made the world wealthier than ever. China and the USA are decoupling, globalization is being rolled back. Within the EU, there is little appetite for new free trade agreements; instead, sanctions against rogue states, supply chain laws, and climate protectionism are promoted as ways to save the planet. Free trade is increasingly giving way to geopolitical and ecological considerations. Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, shaped by their strong middle classes and trade orientation, now see their prosperity at risk.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Peace in the Middle East?

The lecture explores the prospects of a two-state solution, which has been at the center of EU policy since the Oslo peace processes. Dr. Kathrin Bachleitner discusses key obstacles and opportunities – border demarcation, Israeli settlements, Palestinian refugees, and security issues – and illustrates how these lines of conflict have developed historically. Finally, she raises the question of how the ongoing spiral of violence further complicates the prospects for peace today.

Jean Monnet Lectures

The EU vs. Google, “X”, TikTok & Co

Under the dominance of digital platforms, the law seems to be reaching its limits. Powerful market players are increasingly striving for political influence. Can the Europeans counter this development? What value does the law still hold in a borderless world?

Jean Monnet Lectures

The Treaty of Lisbon

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the most important constitutional reform of the EU, the lecture recalls the background and the innovations of the Lisbon Treaty and examines whether it has contributed to the development of a political identity of the European Union.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Austria & Europe Facing Challenges

The lecture discusses the key aspects of Austrian and European competitiveness: energy prices, demographic developments, and innovative capacity. It also presents possible solutions to strengthen the European economy.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Outlook on the EU Elections 2024

The super election year 2024 brings major developments in Europe and the world. Europe is under pressure both internally and externally: the rule of law, disinformation, liberal democracy – and the question of war and peace. In this context, the European Parliament will bear great responsibility in the coming five years.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Where is the “We” in Europe?

More and more people in Europe are experiencing a division within society that makes the exchange of arguments increasingly difficult. Who says something often matters more than the actual content of the statement itself. The winners of such developments are political parties competing for votes. The lecture by Lukas Thürmer addresses the social-psychological reasons behind the evident division among the citizens of the European Union.

Jean Monnet Lectures

EU renaturation law under discussion

A discussion about the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL). The NRL is a very progressive law, especially as it aims to protect the climate and nature together. with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andreas Tribsch from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg.

Jean Monnet Lectures

The EU in the Focus of Populism

From the political fringes to the center of power: radical (right-wing) populism challenges liberal democracy and the European Union. The lecture provides an overview of the causes, consequences, and dangers of radical populism for democracy in Europe in general and the European Union in particular. It also offers insights into the populism research and scientific explanatory approaches.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Challenges of the EU-Enlargement

Where do the borders of the EU end; who is allowed to join and who is not? The discussion addresses current problems of EU candidate countries from the Western Balkans, as well as Ukraine and Moldova. Can these countries be linked to the EU without guaranteeing full membership?

Jean Monnet Lectures

Tourism and Sustainability

Tourism is a phenomenon of our present time. Due to the increasing mobility of people and the advancing globalization of the world, it has become an ever more complex social phenomenon. This goes hand in hand with infrastructural transformations that intervene in natural and cultural landscapes; the cultural encounters also lead to conflicts between travelers and host communities. From a historical perspective, these problems appear in a new light. By looking back at the history of tourism, the lecture shows how questions of sustainability can be discussed more clearly and how pathways for the future development of this sector can be identified.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Struggle for Liberal Values

For more than a year, Europe has been confronted with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Since then, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has tirelessly framed this war as a struggle for European values and has therefore advocated for Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. The European states have so far shown great unity, especially regarding the reception of refugees and the sanctions against Russia. However, on the path of Ukraine “coming home” – as Zelensky describes it – many problems still arise. What would Ukraine’s accession mean for the EU? And what would it imply for the future relationship between the EU and Russia? Is this truly a turning point in world politics? These and other questions will be raised and discussed in the lecture.

Jean Monnet Lectures

Illiberalism in the European Union

The European Union appears passive against the illiberal countries Poland and Hungary within its midst. There is a misconception that the EU has no means to successfully act against undemocratic states. However, this is not the case! The EU has always had the necessary instruments; it simply needs to finally make use of them. The lecture therefore examines the tools available to the EU institutions and highlights possible pathways that should be pursued in the future.