Hamburg – ESI: European Integration faces a serious test

Hamburg. Photo: flickr/Soren Rasmussen

ESI’s Gerald Knaus spoke on the future of Europe at the deutsch-französische Gesellschaft in Hamburg.

Gerald Knaus began by arguing that the European integration project is facing its most serious test since the end of the Cold War. Its failure would be catastrophic. While violent conflicts have continued in parts of the continent outside the European Union, relations among its member states have been transformed, turning countries that were once rivals into close partners. Indeed, the current partnership between Germany and Denmark would have been hard for Hamburgers imagine even a century ago, when conflict continued to rage in Hamburg’s backyard over Schleswig-Holstein. A return to the competition of years past threatens to bring such nationalist violence back to the heart of Europe.

Yet, for nationalist and imperialist forces such as Vladimir Putin or the AfD, this is a price they are willing to pay. We must resist. In this context, Gerald argued, democratic forces across Europe must speak more clearly and confidently about the achievements of integration and the dangers of a return to nationalist confrontation.

Gerald presenting in Hamburg. Photo: ESI

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