Migration in focus: opportunities and challenges at the DAAD summer seminar

Migration in focus: opportunities and challenges at the DAAD summer seminar

The DAAD summer seminar 2025 at the University of Passau took place at the end of July under the theme “Migration: a global phenomenon with regional focuses”. Prof. Dr. Christina Hansen opened the event and emphasized the need for a differentiated discourse about migration. She expressed her gratitude to all internal and external participants and described the University of Passau as a “bridge for international relations”.

The seminar, which took place from July 21 to 25, 2025, brought together foreign students, including students, graduates, scientists and lecturers with a degree or a stay of at least three months at a German university. The organization was carried out by the Eastern Europe Perspective Initiative and Professor Dr. Thomas Wünsch, while the event was sponsored by the DAAD. The application deadline ended on May 5, 2025. For further information, you could contact Danny Jurjević at the University of Passau.

Review of previous seminars and current challenges

A highlight of the seminar was the review by Prof. Dr. Thomas Wünsch on the DAAD winter seminar 2012, which dealt with “Migration in East-West Contact”. Wünsch recalled that the challenges surrounding the term “migration” have changed enormously and the intra-European discourse must be adapted accordingly.

Dr. In his lecture on “German Foreign Policy and Migration”, Tobias Spöri from the University of Vienna presented Germany’s current challenges in the context of migration. He presented statistical analyzes that addressed the costs of returning migrants and the number of people with a migration background in Germany. Spöri emphasized the need for stable framework conditions to ensure humane and economically sensible migration.

Global perspectives and local impacts

Another key contribution came from Prof. Dr. Daniel Göler from the University of Bamberg. He analyzed the Albanian migration society and the changes caused by migration. Göler discussed the global capital flows and remittances from migrants, which influence Albania's economic and social transformation. In his lecture, he recalled the embassy exodus of 1990, the long-term effects of which on society can still be felt today.

A positive light was cast on “remigration”, in which returnees bring capital, knowledge and innovative strength with them, while at the same time the challenges posed by crisis migration since the European asylum crisis in 2015 were not forgotten. The seminar revealed that migration presents both challenges and opportunities.

The resulting lectures and discussions encouraged participants to develop differentiated perspectives and new impulses for research and political solutions. Finally, it was recognized that solutions can only be achieved through an open, honest and fact-based discussion of problems.