The future of multilateralism - EU perspectives on international cooperation

The EU is facing numerous challenges: the ongoing war in Ukraine, the threat of high tariffs and less security support from the US under Trump and the shift to the right in its own member states. It seems more important than ever that it stands united, defends democratic values and acts as a strong player in security and defense policy. It is precisely its position in the context of these global crises and the UN that is the focus of attention. The unity - or lack thereof - of the member states is subject to particular scrutiny.

Germany has always played a central role within the EU and the expectations placed on the new government are all the higher. The reorientation of the Federal Foreign Office under EU leadership is therefore the topic of this event, which will focus on the perspectives of German foreign policy in the EU context.

Together with our speakers, we want to talk about Germany's role in the EU and globally, what Europe expects of Germany and how Germany is meeting the challenges facing the EU and the world. We will also discuss what changes can be expected in German foreign policy after the change of government and how the EU and Germany will position themselves in the world. In view of current crises and conflicts, this relates above all to the UN context and the roles that the EU and Germany play there, as well as how Germany's position is seen in this context. What can the other member states expect from Germany? What does Germany expect from the EU, particularly in terms of economic and security policy? What role does Germany play globally compared to other EU states? How does Germany behave at UN level? And how is German EU policy changing?

The speakers will be: Chantal Kopf has represented the Freiburg constituency as a directly elected member of the German Bundestag since 2021. She is the spokesperson for European policy for the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen parliamentary group and is particularly committed to cross-border cooperation, the protection of democracy and the rule of law, European asylum and migration policy and Franco-German friendship. During her studies of political science and English/American studies at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, she initially worked in the offices of a member of the Bundestag and a member of the state parliament before being directly elected to the Bundestag herself in 2021. In addition to her parliamentary work, she is active as Vice President of Europa-Union Deutschland and a member of Atlantik-Brücke.

Sophie Knabner is a consultant for climate and global sustainability policy at the Association of German Development and Humanitarian Aid NGOs(VENRO). She works on issues such as loss and damage, climate finance, climate-induced migration and just energy transition and accompanies various multilateral processes, including the UN climate negotiations and the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sophie studied anthropology and geographical development studies of Africa and previously worked in the field of education for sustainable development and volunteer exchange. Since her studies, she has been working on the question of how international partnerships can be designed in such a way that they reduce structural inequalities and are based on justice and rights-based approaches.

Since 2017,Dr. Patrick Rosenow has been working as Managing Editor of the journal "United Nations", which is published by the German United Nations Association (DGVN). In 2019, he published his dissertation with NOMOS-Verlag entitled "Die Ständigen Vertreter der USA bei den Vereinten Nationen", and in 2009 he published the book "Weltmacht gegen Weltorganisation? The UN policy of the USA under George W. Bush". Previously, he was a research assistant at the Chair of International Organizations and Globalization at the Institute of Political Science at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. Before that, he worked as a consultant in political education at Haus Rissen Hamburg, an independent institute for international politics and economics. Patrick Rosenow studied Political Science, Sociology and European Ethnology at the Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel.



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For the event we will prepare a Greek salad, Italian bruschetta and a French quiche - of course everything will be vegan.

Polis180 is a predominantly volunteer-run think tank for foreign and European policy. It was founded in 2015 with the vision of enabling young and inclusive approaches to policymaking. Since then, we have over 600 members. Join us for an engaging exchange of views as we highlight and discuss lessons learned from civil societies across Europe in the fight against the rise of autocratic structures and human rights violations.

Polis kocht! is a format for exchange between young people, activists, politicians and academics in foreign and European policy. We invite you to cook together and discuss afterwards.
together. The dishes we cook will be directly related to the topic we are discussing.