31. Mai 2024, 18 UhrEurope facing the election: between national and European identitiesSpeech by Janusz Reiter

29 April 2024

Photo: UHH

Adopted 50 years ago, the Copenhagen "Declaration on European Identity" was a milestone in the history of European integration. A key point of the declaration was the decision to integrate European identity into external relations and to define the common value system as an accession criterion. This political decision drove numerous democratic and institutional innovations in the following decades, such as the direct election of the EU Parliament and the Charter of Fundamental Rights.

50 years later, the question of European identity remains highly relevant. On the one hand, this is evident in the European elections, in which around 330 million voters from 27 countries decide on the future of Europe. On the other hand, anti-European and anti-democratic forces have gained increasing influence in recent years and called the foundations of the Union into question. Today's Europe of 27 is fundamentally different from that of 1973, and the concept of collective identity is not only ambivalent but also politically and socially charged.

Janusz Reiter, former Polish ambassador to Germany and the USA, will take up these ideas and talk about the role of European national and collective identities in a speech on 31 May 2024 at 6 pm at the Übersee-Club Hamburg.

The event will be held in English.

Prior registration is required for participation.

You can register for the event here: https://www.conferences.uni-hamburg.de/event/473/

We look forward to your participation!