School meets EU Studies
The European Union is only one topic among others in the German school curricula. The “Schools meet EU Studies” project provides teachers and students with educational material and input on current developments in the European Union and helps to strengthen the position of EU topics in the teaching activities. The activity offers schools the possibility to visit a session of the lecture “Governance in the European multi-level system” (lecturer: Prof. Knodt). After the session, a roundtable discussion will be offered to recapitulate the session and allow for extensive questions. There is also the possibility of school visits in order to discuss current developments at the European level or the organization of panel discussion e.g. at the Europe Day.
25 May, 2018
Expert talk on BREXIT at Darmstadt school
Each year the Lichtenbergschule Darmstadt organises a Europe week with a variety of activities. This year, Europe week took place from May 7-9. On Tuesday, May 8th, around 120 students of the Lichtenbergschule Darmstadt were attending an expert talk with CEDI director Prof. Michèle Knodt in the context of
the Europe Week. The members of the advanced course on politics and economy together with their teacher Stefanie Gläser asked questions about Britain in the EU and the implications of the BREXIT
for the European Union. The talk followed the English theatre piece "BREXIT - A love story" about a binational couple in times of BREXIT.
16 June, 2017
Panel Discussion at Darmstadt school
CEDI Director Michèle Knodt participated again in the yearly panel discussion organised at the Lichtenbergschule Darmstadt during Europe Week. The students of the Lichtenbergschule organized a panel discussion on the topic “Europe at the move. Internal Security in Europe" that took place on May 10, during the Europe Week 2017. Students Nikolaos Thalassinos and Mickey Heumüller moderated the discussion. The panel included politicians, scientiest and practitioners: Jochen Partsch, mayor of Darmstadt, Michael Friedrichs (Die Linke), Lars Maruhn (Police Headquarters of Southern Hesse), Jonathan Weide (Young European Federalists), Maschal Hühner (Junge Union), Mark Weinmeister (Hessian State Secretary for European Affairs) and Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt from CEDI answered questions about the state of the EU and European internal security.
They discussed the relation of security and freedom, the role of the police forces and the influence of immigration. Around 400 guests
attended the panel discussion.
In addition to the panel discussion, a group of students visited the TU Darmstadt to participate in a seminar and a subsequent discussion on EU politics.
13 May, 2016
Panel Discussion at Bensheim school
The EU – from Nobel Peace Prize to intensive care
In 2012 the EU won the Nobel Peace Prize. ‘At a time of uncertainty, this day reminds people across Europe and the world of the union’s fundamental purpose: to further the fraternity between European nations, now and in the future’, formulated Hermann Van Rompuy, former president of the European Council in his acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize Award in Oslo. The EU received the award for its commitment for peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. Today, only four years later, the EU finds itself at the brink after several crises and a lack of solidarity between its member states.
The students of the Europa School, Goethe Gymnasium Bensheim, organized a panel discussion on the topic “Europe at the move. Where does the EU navigate to?” that took place on May 2, during the Europe Week 2016. Moderated by Mara Krupa and Nik Seewald, Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Dr. Udo Bullmann (SPD) and Martin Häusling (Grüne), Member of the German Parliament Christine Buchholz (Die Linke), the regional head of the Europa-Union Hesse Wolfgang Freudenberger (CDU), journalist Klaus-Dieter Frankenberg (FAZ) and Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt from CEDI answered questions about the state of the EU. The students created video inputs and a sketch to introduce the panelists.
All panel participants were concerned about the current developments of the Union. The deal with Turkey about the refugee policy was criticized. If the agreement leads to massive impairment of the human right of asylum for refugees, then the fundamental rights of the EU are impaired, MEP Bullmann explained. Thus, the accession of Turkey is not desirable at the moment.
The EU has violated its fundamental rights and sacrificed its norms because of economic and security interests already too many times before. An agreement with Turkey in order to stop the refugees to enter the European Union can neither solve the problem nor should it be mixed with accession negotiations between the EU and Turkey, argued Prof. Knodt. She declared that the current crisis should not be referred to as a refugee crisis but as a crisis of the EU migration policy. MEP Martin Häusling emphasized that it should not be an unsolvable problem to receive one million refugees in a wealthy Union with 500 million citizens. Only the journalist Klaus-Dieter Frankenberg pointd out that in deals between states, like the EU-Turkey agreement, there must be compromises and concessions; a position not shared by the rest of the panel.
All panelist agreed that the current Dublin agreement on migration regulations needs to be reformed as fast as possible.