Professor Günter Verheugen gives a talk on 10 years after EU enlargement at University of Göttingen

On April 8th 2014, the former vice-president of the European Commission and former European Commissioner for Enlargement Professor Günter Verheugen gave a talk on the EU enlargement on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of this important European process. The talk was organized by the Erasmus Mundus Programme Euroculture: Europe in the Wider World, Georg-August-University Göttingen.
Honoring the topicality of the issue, he offered a critical and detailed perspective on the current tensions in Ukraine. In contrast to its relationship with other Eastern European states such as Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria or Romania, the EU had failed to offer Ukraine a perspective. Together with the pressure put on the country to decide between Russia and the EU, this then led to the current crisis.

During the event, Verheugen furthermore gave an interesting and vivid account on the EU enlargement process as well as important changes the EU has undergone since then. Verheugen especially denounced the important role of a constructed European identity, often linked to an implicit definition of European culture, in the decision-making process and realization of the EU enlargement. According to him, this perspective yielded the fear of increasing numbers of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania into Germany. Verheugen harshly criticized these arguments as unsubstantiated.
The event ended with a lively discussion with the audience.

The Erasmus Mundus Programme Euroculture will continue to offer similar events in the future and encourages you to come along. Future events will be announced on our facebook page Euroculture Göttingen.