On the Hungarian radio station Klubrádió, Péter Techet talked about whether and how German–Hungarian relations might change following a political shift in Budapest, and to what extent differing views on the war in Ukraine could strain those relations.
The interview can be listened to here: https://www.klubradio.hu/archivum/esti-gyors-2026-junius-02-kedd-1815-58162
On the Hungarian-language program of the Slovak broadcaster STVR, Péter Techet spoke about the reasons for and the possible consequences of the unpopularity of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The interview can be listened to here: https://patria24.stvr.sk/2026/05/14/tortenelmi-melyponton-a-nemet-kancellar-tamogatottsaga/
EU36: Imagining Europe’s Future
26 July – 1 August 2026
Regensburg, Germany
An intensive one-week programme for students and researchers
What will Europe look like in 2036? What could a European Union of 36 member states mean for its political, economic, and societal future? The summer school EU36 invites participants to explore these questions from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Whether understood as a forward-looking vision of the European Union in ten years’ time or as a scenario of an enlarged Union, EU36 serves as a framework to critically examine transformation processes within and beyond Europe. Participants will engage with key challenges and opportunities shaping the EU’s future – ranging from geopolitical shifts and economic restructuring to social cohesion, migration and democratic governance.
By bringing together students, researchers, and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, the summer school fosters dialogue across disciplines and encourages innovative thinking about Europe’s role in a rapidly changing global landscape. Through lectures, workshops, and interactive discussions, participants will analyse current developments, present their own research and develop ideas for the future of the EU.
We are looking for young researchers with a scientific background and/or a strong interest in deepening their knowledge of developments in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe!
1. Geopolitics and International Relations: This strand explores the European Union’s role in an increasingly contested global order. It looks at enlargement and neighbourhood policy as key strategic tools, alongside the EU’s relationships with major global actors such as the United States and China. Questions of security, defence cooperation, and the pursuit of strategic autonomy will be central, particularly in light of ongoing geopolitical tensions and shifting alliances.
2. Economy and Transformation: This theme prioritizes the green transition as a driver of the EU’s future competitiveness and resilience. It explores how climate-neutral growth, supported by the Single Market and digital innovation, can strengthen the EU’s economic position, while addressing inequalities and promoting convergence across member states, especially in an enlarged Union.
3. Migration and Demography: This strand addresses one of the EU’s most debated and politically sensitive areas. It will explore migration governance, asylum systems, and border management, as well as broader demographic trends such as ageing populations and labour shortages. Discussions will also consider how mobility and migration intersect with questions of social inclusion and integration across European societies.
4. Democracy and Desinformation: This theme connects the EU’s institutional framework – governance, decision making, and rule of law – with the lived reality of democracy at citizen level. It explores participation, polarisation, and the influence of disinformation, and how these dynamics affect trust, cohesion, and democratic resilience in an expanding Union.
Please note that participants will have the opportunity to present their own research. Applicants’ research topics should align with the themes outlined above. The programme, including lectures and workshops by Regensburg-based and international professors as well as a cultural programme, will be published in the coming weeks.
Please send the following documents to info@drc-danube.org by 31 May 2026, at the latest:
Please send all above-mentioned documents as one file, the only accepted format is PDF with a maximum file size of 3 MB for all documents.
Selected participants will be informed latest by 15 June 2026.
A provision of Germany’s Military Service Modernisation Act (WDModG) that entered into force on 1 January 2026 required men aged 17 to 45 to obtain advance approval before spending more than three months abroad. It went unnoticed for three months. Once discovered, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius reversed it within days without substantive parliamentary debate.
In his latest article for Fair Observer, IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer, himself German and based in Vienna for over a decade, argues that the problem is not the strategic direction of European remilitarization, which is sound but the democratic process behind it. Drawing on the contrast with Austria’s notification-based model under the Military Act, he calls for clarity, visibility and structured public debate as Europe rebuilds defence frameworks dismantled after the Cold War.
Read the full article here: https://www.fairobserver.com/politics/germanys-conscription-misstep-exposes-a-deeper-european-problem/
IDM Director Sebastian Schäffer joined TVP World’s World News Tonight to discuss Germany’s Military Service Act and new provisions requiring men aged 17–45 to obtain approval from the Bundeswehr for stays abroad exceeding three months, effective 1 January 2026.
Schäffer criticised the rollout as an “absolute communication disaster,” noting that millions of those affected learned about the measure through media reports rather than official channels. At the same time, he emphasised that the policy reflects a more serious German approach to the security situation in Eastern Europe, which is fundamentally justified.
🎥 Watch the interview (from 9:08): https://youtu.be/YWdzuISlaRM?t=548
In cooperation between the University of Bamberg and the University of St. Gallen, a handbook on the reception and continuing influence of Carl Schmitt in Eastern Europe is being planned. Péter Techet will write the chapter on Carl Schmitt in Hungary. In it, he will discuss the sporadic reception of Carl Schmitt during the interwar period, Georg Lukács’s views on Schmitt, the more intensive engagement with Schmitt after 1990, and especially the influence of Schmittian ideas on Orbán’s regime.
On March 5 and 6, a workshop took place at the University of Bamberg with the other authors, where the papers and case studies were discussed.
On the Hungarian-language program of Slovak Radio STVR, Péter Techet spoke about how the Christian Democratic Union could still prevent a possible election victory of the Alternative for Germany in the upcoming East German state elections, and whether the so-called “firewall” against the AfD can survive these elections.
The interview can be listened to here.
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Vienna, together with youth organisations from EPP member parties in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia, organised a two-day workshop in Bratislava on “European Sovereignty in a Multipolar World”.
On 31 January 2026, Malwina Talik and Péter Techet led an interactive session on the consequences of illiberalism, both in theory and in practice. They also presented their study—funded by the Felczak Institute—on democratic backsliding and the possibilities of undoing illiberal damage in Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. (You can read the study here.)
The primary focus of the session, however, was on fostering an interactive discussion of possible forms and practices of illiberal politics. Talik and Techet presented various scenarios for liberal and illiberal democracies, which participants then analysed and discussed in smaller groups. The aim was to help attendees recognise illiberal threats even within liberal politics, as well as the key characteristics of a potential illiberal shift.
Im Rahmen der aktuellen Debatte um einen möglichen Boykott der Fußball-Weltmeisterschaft 2026 hat Sebastian Schäffer, Direktor des Instituts für den Donauraum und Mitteleuropa (IDM), in der Frankfurter Rundschau und der tzzur politischen Verantwortung des Sports Stellung genommen. Anlass ist ein Vorstoß von Oke Göttlich, Präsident des FC St. Pauli und DFB-Vizepräsident, der fordert, einen WM-Boykott zumindest ernsthaft zu diskutieren, wenn sportliche Großereignisse zur Bühne politischer Selbstinszenierung werden.
Schäffer betont, dass es dabei nicht um moralische Symbolpolitik gehe, sondern um politische Glaubwürdigkeit. Sport sei längst Teil globaler Macht- und Aufmerksamkeitsökonomien und könne nicht losgelöst von politischen Kontexten betrachtet werden. Ein Boykott würde weder politische Akteure verändern noch institutionelle Probleme des Weltfußballs lösen, könne aber sichtbar machen, wo demokratische Gesellschaften Grenzen ziehen.
Vor dem Hintergrund des russischen Angriffskrieges gegen die Ukraine verweist Schäffer auf europäische Lernerfahrungen im Umgang mit autoritären Akteuren. Die jahrelange Strategie der Anpassung und Einbindung gegenüber Russland habe gezeigt, wie problematisch es sei, klare Haltung zugunsten vermeintlicher Stabilität aufzuschieben. Diese Erfahrung müsse auch in Debatten über Sport, internationale Großereignisse und politische Inszenierung einbezogen werden.
Kritisch äußert sich Schäffer zudem zum Verhalten der FIFA-Führung, insbesondere zur symbolischen Auszeichnung von Donald Trump durch FIFA-Präsident Gianni Infantino. Solche Gesten stünden exemplarisch für eine Logik gegenseitiger Aufwertung, in der Nähe zu Macht und Aufmerksamkeit wichtiger werde als Fragen von Integrität und Verantwortung.
Die Debatte um einen möglichen WM-Boykott sei daher kein Randthema, sondern Teil einer größeren Diskussion über politische Haltung jenseits klassischer Außenpolitik – im Sport ebenso wie in Wirtschaft und Kultur.
👉 Frankfurter Rundschau
https://www.fr.de/sport/fussball/wm-boykott-als-politische-grenzmarkierung-think-tank-direktor-unterstuetzt-goettlich-vorstoss-zr-94142180.html
Für die deutsche Evangelische Zeitung sprach Péter Techet über den historischen Kontext und die gegenwärtige Anwendung der sogenannten Beneš-Dekrete, die in der Slowakei immer noch als Grundlage für Enteignungen von Eigentümern ungarischer Abstammung herangezogen werden.
Der Artikel kann hier gelesen werden.
