Munich – ESI presentation at TU Munich: Europe is at a crossroads

20 October 2025
Marienplatz in Munich. Photo: flickr/Gunther Hentschel
Marienplatz in Munich. Photo: flickr/Gunther Hentschel

ESI’s Gerald Knaus gave a talk at the event “Europe at a Crossroads: Thriving in Disruption” in Munich. The talk was organized by the TUM Think Tank, the Munich School of Politics and Public Policy, and the student organization Governance, Technology and Society.

Gerald began by reflecting on Europe’s trajectory since the end of the Cold War, highlighting the continent’s significant prosperity despite recurring violence on its margins. He drew two key lessons: first, European integration is fundamentally a peace project, transforming former adversaries like Germany and the Czechia into close partners; and second, stability has relied on transatlantic deterrence, with NATO’s security guarantees preventing Russian aggression and enabling political and economic integration on the EU’s eastern flank. However, Gerald warned that these achievements are now under increasing pressure, as Vladimir Putin and other illiberal leaders aim to push Europe back toward nationalism and power politics. Russia’s military aggression, hybrid tactics, and the displacement of people from Ukraine have destabilised European societies, feeding the rise of far-right movements such as the AfD.

Such developments threaten the foundations of European integration, and Gerald argued that defending them requires clear, confident communication about the successes of the European project and the dangers it now faces. The stakes, he concluded, are too high to fall into pessimism or nostalgia in this critical moment.