Conference week: “Europe must follow its own path”

“Shouldn't the world actually be saved from the West?” asked a student in the auditorium. She was referring to the conflict in Venezuela.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann picked up the thread: "Trump went there under the label of the ‘war on drugs’ and gave people the impression that he wanted to overthrow Mr. Maduro and save them. That was the hope of many people in Venezuela. However, the result was completely different. Trump invaded this country to get his hands on its oil reserves.“

The role of the American president was discussed several times during the conversation. Strack-Zimmermann spoke of a ”tariff theater," for example. She no longer considered the US to be a reliable trading partner. “Europe must go its own way, open up new markets, and present a united front,” she argued.

Support for Ukraine was also discussed in this context: "Putin did not expect the European states—plus Norway and the UK—to support Ukraine. And with a lot of money, with weapons, with ammunition, but also humanitarian and economic aid, so that the system does not collapse," said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.

She emphasized that Europe – even without full American backing – would take responsibility and maintain its support.

Another topic in this context was Germany's high level of debt: “To what extent can a special fund of up to €100 billion for military spending be justified when you have previously been a strong advocate of the debt brake – which in turn has led to cuts in social spending and infrastructure?” asked a student, striking a nerve: “So now we – Ms. Strack-Zimmermann and I – finally have different opinions. We should celebrate that. And of course you can imagine that I completely disagree on the issue of the debt brake,” said Ulrike Herrmann.

Strack-Zimmermann had previously addressed the students directly: “We are not paying this debt that is being incurred. Your generation will pay for it in full. At some point, payday will come, at the expense of how you want to shape your lives.”

Ulrike Herrmann countered: "From a purely economic perspective, it is clear that investments must always be financed by debt if the economy is to function. And it's just not right to say: Yes, debt, you'll have to pay it all off in the next generation. Debt, when used for investment, is always an asset.“

Despite all the crises and difficulties, the top priority is to save democracy: ”I'm really addressing you as young people: The next European elections will be in 2029. It will play a major role in whether we can reduce this right-wing bloc again. As democrats, we must work together across party lines to ensure that this greatest peace project in the world is not destroyed," appealed Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.

Students have set up stands throughout the lecture hall corridor and the forum of the central building, providing information with posters and activities, and talking to their fellow students about social, economic, and environmental injustices.

A small crowd has also gathered in front of the stand run by Rebecca Flügge, Josephine Saleh, Milena Wigger, Felix Weileder, and Sayna Ghasemi Hamed. The five first-semester students are one of 280 project groups presenting their results from the Leuphana semester at the Gallery Walk. All 1,500 first-semester students started their studies in October 2025 with a project-oriented Opening Week on campus.

During the conference week, they present their insights from the university's “Transformation” module – and the entire city. “Illumeri” is the name of this group's project from Lea Jakob's seminar, which deals artistically with climate change: “Together with other students, we planned an audiovisual performance that was staged in Hamburg and at Leuphana,” explains Felix Weileider. He studies cultural studies.

Rebecca Flügge, on the other hand, is enrolled in law: “It's a great study program and unique in this form,” she says. She particularly likes the interdisciplinary nature of the conference week: “Here, I was able to exchange ideas with students I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.”

Sayna Ghasemi Hamed studies International Business Administration & Entrepreneurship: “I particularly like the fact that our work has a clear result: we are organizing a concert and addressing a socially relevant topic. That's something special.”

Cultural studies student Milena Wigger points to the canvas and paint sponges that her group has set up at the stand: “We want to get people talking about art. Many people feel something like climate apathy.” A musical and emotional approach is also the idea behind the Leuphana Concert Lab.

“The Leuphana semester with the transformation module, the methods module, and the DataX module prepared us well for our further studies,” summarizes teacher training student Josephine Saleh before striking up another conversation with interested colleagues during the gallery walk.