Towards Europe’s future with EUphoria

On the last weekend in October, the ‘bayreuther dialoge’ took place on campus for the 23rd time. This is a conference organised on a voluntary basis by Philosophy & Economics students. Under the theme ‘EUphoria – back to our future’, socially relevant topics relating to Europe were discussed with the aim of promoting constructive dialogue, opening up new avenues of thought and creating a positive outlook for our future. Speakers from the worlds of politics, business and philosophy were invited to contribute to the Bayreuth Dialogues with interesting panel discussions and keynote speeches. Among others, Sven Smit, former Chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute, and Niko Paech, a sustainability researcher critical of economic growth, engaged in a fascinating debate on economic growth.

Visitors had the opportunity to take part in selected workshops and deepen their knowledge, clarify any outstanding questions and discuss the topics covered. Representatives from the European Commission discussed future policy concepts, EU enlargement, EU law and demographic trends with the participants. One of our sponsors, Tennet, hosted an informative workshop on energy and sustainability. The main highlight on Saturday evening was the dialoge dinner in the SWO’s ballroom, where a buffet featuring European and Franconian delicacies brought the first day to a close.

After a year of planning and a successful weekend, the dialoge team is handing over the organisation of the 24th Bayreuth dialoge to the next cohort of Philosophy & Economics students.