European future in focus: Mogherini speaks in Berlin!

European future in focus: Mogherini speaks in Berlin!

On October 17, 2025, the Europaeum announced the first Annual Lecture at the Free University of Berlin, which will take place on November 7, 2025. The keynote speaker will be Federica Mogherini, who was the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy from 2014 to 2019. The event is entitled “The new global disorder: Europe’s future in a fracturing world” and will address the geopolitical challenges affecting Europe in an increasingly destabilized world.

Joschka Fischer, former Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, will comment on the event. The lecture is free, but registration is required and a live stream is offered.

Influential speakers and important topics

Federica Mogherini, who sat in the Italian Parliament from 2008 to 2014 and has been Rector of the College of Europe since 2020, will analyze relevant trends and possible future prospects for Europe in her lecture. During her term as High Representative, she played a crucial role in the EU's international foreign policy. She is also a trustee of the International Crisis Group and a fellow of the German Marshall Fund.

Joschka Fischer, who served as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998 to 2005, will discuss the EU's contribution to meeting these challenges. Fischer is known not only for his political achievements, but also for his role as a controversial figure in German politics during the 1990s.

Moderation and academic partnerships

The event is led by Prof. Dr. Tanja Börzel, professor of political science at the Free University of Berlin, moderates. Börzel is speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” and director of the Berlin Center of European Studies. The Europaeum Annual Lecture is part of a new series of lectures that will take place at various partner universities in the network in November.

The Europaeum, founded in 1992 at the University of Oxford, includes over twenty renowned universities such as Oxford, Leiden, Bologna and the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. The aim of this network is to promote European education, research and public debate. The session is supported by Una Europa, an association of eleven research-strong European universities that aims to promote the European idea in research, teaching and society.

Professor Günter M. Ziegler, President of the Free University of Berlin, underlines the university's important role in scientific dialogue in Europe, which further increases the relevance of this event.

The European Commission, as the EU's executive body, will be important in this context as it proposes new laws and policies and monitors their implementation. Parliament plays a crucial role in confirming the Commission as a whole and playing a key role in the election process for the presidency of the Commission.

The first Annual Lecture by Federica Mogherini promises to be a significant event that not only addresses the challenges of the present, but also shows the future direction of Europe in a changing world.

For more information about this event and to register, please visit FU Berlin as well as IDW online and European Parliament.