6:00 pm Greetings: Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, President of the University of Hamburg
6:15 pm Hamburg Speech on the Future of Europe: Paolo Gentiloni, former Italian Prime Minister and European Commissioner for Economy
7:00 pm Panel discussion with:
· Paolo Gentiloni, former Italian Prime Minister and European Commissioner for Economy
· Luigi Mattiolo, President, German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue Villa Vigoni
· Prof. Dr. Ursula Schröder, Director, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg
· Liv Assmann, State Secretary and Plenipotentiary of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg to the Federation, to the European Union, and for Foreign Affairs
· Fabrizio Bucci, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Germany (tbc)
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Markus Kotzur, President Europa-Kolleg Hamburg, Scientific Director of the Hamburg-Vigoni Forum
This event marks the second edition of the Hamburg Speech on the Future of Europe. The first took place on April 28, 2023, and was delivered by Egils Levits, former President of Latvia and alumnus of the University of Hamburg.
Paolo Gentiloni served as European Commissioner for Economy from 2019 to 2024. He previously held the positions of Prime Minister of Italy (2016-2018), Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2014–2016), and Minister of Communications (2006-2008).
He serves as Chair of the European Investment Bank Global Advisory Council since September 2025 and as Co-Chair of the UN Group of Experts on the Debt Crisis since December 2024. He is also a Nonresident Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe and at Università Cattolica in Milan.
Further Information: https://www.hamburg-vigoni.de/en.html
