Third Villa Vigoni workshop – Contours of Europe: Challenges and Opportunities in Spatial Dimensions

The third workshop of the Hamburg-Vigoni Forum took place from February 17–20, 2025, at Villa Vigoni in Menaggio, Italy, unfolding over the course of four days.

While the first two editions of the Forum explored the themes of “sovereignty” and “identity,” the third workshop turned to the dynamic interplay of Europe’s spatial dimensions, with a particular emphasis on its borders. As the Belarusian poet Adam Globus aptly remarked: “Imagining Europe is like drawing a map: you begin with the contours. It is at the borders of Europe that there is tension: that is where hands tremble, where we have to rectify things all the time”.

The workshop explored the multiple, overlapping borders that shape Europe – each with distinct implications for the continent’s cohesion and identity. Through a series of interdisciplinary panels and discussions, participants examined historical parallels, contemporary challenges, and future perspectives, offering a comprehensive understanding of Europe’s spatial dynamics. By considering the geopolitical, legal, economic, civic, and regional dimensions, the event sought to shed light on how Europe’s internal and external borders are defined, contested, and reimagined in the 21st century.

The workshop brought together scholars and intellectuals from diverse backgrounds and European countries, including Julia Gelbhaar (legal expert and activist), Ettore Greco (Istituto Affari Internazionali), Maximilian Hausmann (Villa Vigoni), Cord Jakobeit (Universität Hamburg), Jörn Axel Kämmerer (Bucerius Law School), Markus Kotzur (Universität Hamburg), Christiane Liermann Traniello (Villa Vigoni), Roberto Luppi (Università degli Studi di Palermo), Holger Niemann (Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik), Stefan Oeter (Universität Hamburg), Janusz Reiter (former Polish ambassador), Tilman Repgen (Universität Hamburg), Toms Rostoks (Latvian Military Academy), Funda Tekin (Institut für Europäische Politik), Mattias Wendel (Universität Leipzig), Bartosz T. Wieliński (political scientist and author).

The results of these rich and constructive discussions are captured in the sixth volume of Notes from the Hamburg-Vigoni Forum.