As the outside world appears increasingly unstable and insecure, European leaders grapple with the question of how to meet these challenges. Abroad, they have to deal with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, the rise of China as a global superpower and the continuing atrocities in Ukraine and Gaza. Domestically, Europe is grappling with the rise of the far and authoritarian right, the challenge of big tech and AI, the climate crisis and a struggling economy.
Daunting though these challenges may seem, this lecture series organised by Maastricht University, seeks to make sense of how Europe can respond to this turbulence. In five lectures, experts will give their perspective on ongoing developments inside and outside Europe, how they affect our lives and how we might address them. Covering defence, economics, big tech, climate and people, this series aims to provide some solid ground in confusing times.
The individual lectures:
- 9 April: Geoeconomics and Industrial Policy – Sander Tordoir (Chief economist, Centre for European Reform, Brussels)
- 16 April: Europe’s Security Policy and the Role of the NATO – Nele Ewers-Peters (PhD, Assistant Professor for European Security, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
- 23 April: Moral Dimensions of AI and Big Tech; Europe’s Policy –Katleen Gabriels (PhD, Associate Professor in Ethics and Philosophy of Technology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
- 30 April: The History and Future of EU Climate Action – Koen van Zon (PhD, Postdoctoral researcher, Studio Europa Maastricht)
- 7 May: Public Responses to Europe’s Turbulence – Joris Melman (PhD, Postdoctoral researcher, Studio Europa Maastricht).