Bensberg – ESI on meeting European challenges at the Europe Future Forum

19 May 2026
Bensberg. Photo: Wikimedia Foundation
Bensberg. Photo: Wikimedia Foundation

ESI’s Gerald Knaus was the keynote speaker at the Europe Future Forum of the GGW Group, Germany’s largest commercial and industrial insurance broker. The Europe Future Forum is GGW’s bi-annual meeting for its most senior decision makers, held this year at the historic Schloss Bensburg, near Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia.

In his talk, Gerald reflected on Europe’s transformation over the past century, arguing that a continent once marked by devastating wars, territorial disputes, and nationalist rivalries has become an area of unprecedented peace and cooperation. This achievement, he stressed, was not inevitable, but the result of deliberate efforts to build common institutions, strengthen the rule of law, and deepen European integration.

At the same time, Gerald warned that the forces that once drove conflict in Europe have not disappeared. Russia’s war against Ukraine has returned large-scale warfare to the continent, while nationalist and authoritarian movements continue to challenge the values that underpin democratic cooperation. The resulting instability, including large-scale displacement and migration, has become a central issue in European politics.