Hamburg – ESI on Europe’s future at the Hamburger Europe Week

4 May 2026
Gerald at the Europe Week Hamburg. Photo: ESI
Gerald at the Europe Week Hamburg. Photo: ESI

ESI’s Gerald Knaus gave a keynote talk at the opening of the city of Hamburg’s Europe Week festivities. His talk, held at the Hamburger City Hall, was sponsored by the Senate of Hamburg and discussed his recent research on Europe. He was joined by Svenja Hahn, representing Hamburg in the European Parliament for the FDP.

Gerald argued that Europe’s integration process is entering a decisive period and can no longer be taken for granted. He stressed that the transformation of relations within the European Union remains one of the continent’s greatest political achievements; states that once competed violently for territory and influence now cooperate closely through shared institutions and common rules. Referring to northern Germany’s history, Gerald noted that it would once have been difficult to imagine the degree of partnership that today exists between Germany and Denmark, given the conflicts that shaped the Schleswig-Holstein region in earlier generations.

Gerald warned that this historic achievement is increasingly challenged by nationalist and authoritarian movements seeking to weaken European unity. Parties such as the Alternative für Deutschland, with the support of Vladimir Putin and MAGA nationalists, promote divisive nationalist narratives that threaten to drag Europe backwards in time. Against this backdrop, Gerald emphasised that Europeans must take ownership of the integration process and actively defend it. Europe’s progress was built through decades of political courage and cooperation; now, we need these traits again to defend them.