Location: European Academy Otzenhausen 
Target group: Students and interested parties
Author: Clara Hanselmann

From 7.03.2025 to 15.03.2025, 24 students from all over the world gathered to discuss the changing transatlantic relationship between the European Union and the United States following the recent election. The focus was on topics such as security policy, the functions of the European institutions and shared values.

The first three days of the seminar were dedicated to the European Union, from its history to its individual institutions, to lay the foundations for the upcoming excursions. On the day of arrival, the participants therefore visited the European Central Bank, which plays a key role in determining the EU՚s monetary policy, as soon as they landed in Frankfurt. The following days in Otzenhausen, the participants got to know each other better through interactive games such as bingo and were introduced to Europe through expert presentations. The challenges that the EU is currently facing were explored in group work and security policy was examined from the US and the European perspective. The focus was on the changes triggered by President Trump and the reaction of the EU states to this.

Equipped with this knowledge, the students set off on a two-day excursion to Brussels. In the morning, they visited the Regional Office of Saarland to find out how the federal states can help shape EU policy. This was followed by a visit to the EEAS, where expert presentations gave them a deeper insight into the current discussions surrounding the war in Ukraine. In the evening, the day was rounded off with a guided tour of the European District. The next morning, they went to NATO to learn more about the tasks of the defense alliance and had the opportunity to discuss the latest challenges in security policy with experts. The visit to Brussels ended with a tour of the Parlamentarium, where the participants were able to explore the history of Europe since the Second World War on their own.

Back in Otzenhausen on the sixth day, a lecture on feminism was on the agenda, followed by a workshop in which the participants took a closer look at the situation of women in various crisis areas. This was followed by a lecture on Russian cyber threats, which were carved out by the cyber-attack on Estonia in 2007.

The following day, the participants traveled to Strasbourg to visit the European Parliament. There they had the opportunity to speak to an MEP Ondřej Kolář. They then went on to the Council of Europe, where they first had a guided tour and then an interactive lecture. The afternoon was free for the students to explore the city on their own before returning to Otzenhausen.

On the last day, the participants visited the Höckerlinie after a short lecture on the culture of remembrance. There they not only learned more about the Siegfried Line, but were also able to marvel at the sculptures there, which are intended to warn of the dangers of propaganda. They were also given the opportunity to make their own artistic contribution by adding their own wooden discs to Wolfgang Gärtner's interactive artwork “Tide”. This depicted their wishes for a common future. 
We had a wonderful time with the participants of the Spring Academy and would like to thank them for the many questions and intensive discussions. We wish them every success in their future studies and hope to welcome them back to Otzenhausen at some point in the future.

WCU Press story (EN):  https://www.wcupa.edu/communications/newsroom/2025/03.18EAOAcademy.aspx

Aktueller Bericht (DE), 14.03.2025
SR-Mediathek.de: aktueller bericht (14.03.2025)  (Min. 4:03)

SR 3 Saarlandwelle, (DE), 14.03.2025
SR.de: Internationale Studierende diskutieren über transatlantische Beziehungen