Event report

“What does the EU actually do in Upper Franconia?” was the base for the EU forum event, talks, and discussion. Critical questions from the audience were not neglected: Among other things, Renke Deckarm, spokesman for the EU Commission in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, addressed the Commission’s efforts in migration issues and expressed his opinion on the negotiation with countries of origin. The current case of attempted border crossings at the Belarusian-Polish border was discussed as well as the question of Germany’s net payments – Germany pays the most into the EU, but without the Schengen area would lose massively in foreign trade volume. Naturally, European bureaucracy was also a topic of discussion: The long routes that applications and ideas take from a region to the EU level and vice versa continues to be criticized. The consensus at the end of the discussion was nevertheless in Professor Peter Schäfer’s words: "There is no alternative to the EU – It is the most successful peace project of all time.”