Weltpolitik ungefiltert: Handel als Waffe. Wie viel Unabhängigkeit braucht Europa?

Trade has long been regarded as a driver of prosperity, cooperation, and peace. But this certainty is increasingly being called into question. Tariffs, sanctions, export controls, and access to critical raw materials or key technologies have long been part of geopolitical power struggles. The economy has become foreign and security policy.

This raises a central question for Europe: How can it benefit from open markets without making itself vulnerable to blackmail through one-sided dependencies? Caught between the economic interests of the U.S., China’s growing influence, and the need to defend its own values and rules, the European Union is seeking a new course.

How much economic independence does Europe need? What role do trade agreements, supply chains, and European industrial policy play? And how can competitiveness, resilience, and openness be reconciled?

We’ll be discussing these questions on the fourth evening of “World Politics Unfiltered” withAnna Cavazzini, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA) and Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection. Additional experts have been invited and will be listed here once they’ve confirmed their attendance. 

As always, after a joint introduction, it’s your turn to speak up. In a relaxed pub atmosphere, we’ll sit at tables with our guests to discuss current issues in world politics—in an accessible, thought-provoking, and equal-footing manner.

About the series:

“World Politics Unfiltered” is a dialogue-oriented event series on current issues in foreign and security policy. In the relaxed atmosphere of a Chemnitz craft beer bar, we bring international developments from the news and social media feeds back into the conversation. Together with experts and you, we’ll analyze events, discuss different perspectives, and explore what global changes specifically mean for us—here in Saxony. The series is intended as an open forum for anyone who wants to listen, ask questions, and contribute their thoughts.

The event series is a collaboration with the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Chair of International Politics at Chemnitz University of Technology, and U Brambory Czech Craft Beer Bar & Creative Space.