CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A German diplomat based in Chicago but recently posted in the conflict zone of eastern Ukraine will speak on the subject of democracy versus authoritarianism Feb. 21 as part of European Union Day at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Wolfgang Moessinger, consul general of Germany in the U.S. Midwest
Wolfgang Moessinger, consul general of Germany in the U.S. Midwest, will give the EU Day keynote address at 10:30 a.m. on the third floor of Levis Center, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana.
The keynote will be preceded by a reception at 10 a.m. Both events are free and open to the public. EU Day is hosted by the European Union Center at Illinois.
Moessinger’s address is titled “The New Cold War: Liberal Democracy vs. Authoritarianism: Why the EU is Today More Important Than Ever Before.”
Moessinger (alternately spelled Mössinger) will use the recent 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall as a starting point to elaborate on the history of liberal democracies and the need to fight for them. He’ll discuss current threats to democracies, both internationally and within Western societies. He’ll also discuss why the European Union should serve as a model of how to cooperate peacefully on an international level, as well as within democratic societies.
Moessinger served as Germany’s consul general in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, from 2015-19, and said much of the inspiration for his theme comes from witnessing the Ukrainians’ struggle there against Russian-backed separatists.
Also as part of EU Day, poet Angie Estes will give a reading at 4 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Author’s Corner at the Illini Union Bookstore, 809 S. Wright St., Champaign. Estes, the author of six books, one a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, will read poems that both celebrate Europe and grapple with difficult periods in its past, such as the Holocaust.
EU Day is an annual event held to provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the EU, its relationship with the U.S. and its role in promoting international relations.
Editor’s notes: For additional information, contact Sydney Lazarus, outreach coordinator for the European Union Center, at 217-244-5648; email lazarus5@illinois.edu.
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