The Europa Podium 2026 will take place on January 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rathausfestsaal in Saarbrücken. Under the headline “Crises at home – expectations abroad? Franco-German responsibility for Europe's future”, the panel guests will explore the question of how Europe can remain capable of action in the face of multiple crises and how willing to compromise and reach agreement the large member states such as Germany and France are despite their own challenges.
Since 2008, the ASKO Europa-Stiftung and the Europäische Akademie Otzenhausen, in cooperation with the Frankreichzentrum (Centre for French studies) of Saarland University and Europe Direct, Saarbrücken, have been organizing a European Podium during the German-French Week in January.
Speakers from Germany, France and optionally a third EU member state discuss current issues in the Franco-German and European context from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Examples of previous topics:
- 2025: “40 Jahre Schengener Abkommen”
- 2024: "20 years of EU enlargement to the east - perspectives of the Weimar Triangle in the European election year"
- 2023: "Between Europeanization and Renationalization. How much political trust does the EU enjoy?"
- 2022: „Ein stärkeres Europa in der Welt? Die Außenpolitik der Europäischen Union auf dem Prüfstand“
- 2021: "Wer schafft das Europa von morgen? Zivilgesellschaftliche und politische Antworten und Positionen aus der Großregion"
- 2020: "Die EU und Afrika. Wohin führt der Weg?"
- 2019: "Bürger, Parteien, Parlament - Eine kritische Vorausschau auf die Europawahlen"
- 2018: "Was ist und was kann kulturelles Erbe?"
- 2017: "Europa á la carte"
- 2016: "Das unbekannte Euroland - Portugal als Testfall für die europäische Krisenbewältigung"