Impressions from the Crisis Talk “Europe in a multipolar world”

The international order is undergoing profound upheaval. The idea that global relations are based on rules, multilateral institutions and common norms, which has long been taken for granted, is increasingly being called into question – by geopolitical tensions, economic rivalries, military conflicts and the global erosion of democratic standards. The Crisis Talk “Europe in a multipolar world – How can the EU meet the challenges posed by great powers?” held at the Representation of the State of Hesse to the European Union on July 1, 2025 was dedicated to the question of how the EU should shape its influence and assume its responsibilities in this international environment.

In her welcoming address, Rebecca C. Schmidt (Managing Director of the Research Centre Normative Orders) briefly outlined the current global situation and the challenges facing the EU as a geopolitical actor in light of recent developments. In her subsequent keynote speech, Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff (Director of PRIF – Leibniz Institute for Peace and Conflict Research) emphasized that the EU, as a representative of a rules-based international order, must change its internal decision-making processes and build its own European defence structure in order to achieve its goals. The subsequent panel discussion with Elmar Brok (former Chairman of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee / Senior Fellow at the Aspen Institute) and Prof. Dr. Nicole Deitelhoff emphasized, among other things, that although the EU, as the second largest trading power, can certainly consider itself a great power on an economic level, it is still a long way from this status on a political level.