Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

German diplomat recently posted in Ukraine to give EU Day keynote address

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

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.

Read Next

Health and medicine Life sciences Veterinary medicine Two men in a lab. The seated man holds a hologram projection of a brain.

Mutation increases enzyme in mouse brains linked to schizophrenia behaviors

Researchers found a key role for an enzyme regulating glycine in the brain while investigating a rare genetic mutation found in two patients with schizophrenia.

Honors A photo collage featuring all three Sloan Fellowship awardees.

Three Illinois professors named Sloan Research Fellows

Three Illinois scientists are among 126 recipients of the 2025 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. According to the foundation, the awardees represent “the very best of early-career science, embodying the creativity, ambition, and rigor that drive discovery forward.” This year’s Illinois recipients are chemistry professors Angad Mehta and Lisa Olshansky, and materials science and engineering professor Yingjie Zhang.

Life sciences Graphic with the title "42nd Insect Fear Film Festival" in a scary font and with a picture of a tarantula.

Insect Fear Film Festival to feature ‘hairy, scary’ tarantulas

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2025 Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will feature “Tarantulas: Hairy, Scary Spiders” as its theme and a Hollywood bug wrangler who works with the 8-legged creatures as a special guest. The festival, which is hosted by the Entomology Graduate Student Association and is in its 42nd […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010