As part of France Day 2026, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), in collaboration with the Genshagen Foundation, is organising a public panel discussion on Thursday 9 July 2026, from 6 pm to 8 pm, entitled ‘35 Years of the Weimar Triangle: Impulses for the Future of Europe’. Representatives from politics, academia and civil society in Germany, Poland and France will discuss the current and future role of the Weimar Triangle for Europe. Within this trilateral forum for dialogue and cooperation, governments, parliaments and civil society work closely together to coordinate their positions on cross-border, European policy and international affairs. The discussion will take place at the Heilig-Geist-Kapelle, Spandauer Straße 1, 10178 Berlin.
The panel discussion will focus on the trilateral format’s capacity for political action, its contribution to European integration, and its significance in the face of internal and external challenges in Europe. The panellists are Dr Anton Hofreiter, Member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs; Dr Ryszarda Formuszewicz, Coordinator for German-Polish Dialogue at the West Institute in Poznań; and Prof. Dr Pierre-Frédéric Weber, historian and French Honorary Consul at the University of Szczecin/Stettin. The discussion will be moderated by Stephen Bastos, Project Manager for European Dialogue at the Genshagen Foundation. To represent the perspective of the younger generation, one or two so-called ‘empty chairs’ will also be reserved for scholarship holders of the Franco-German Parliamentary Internship Programme and the German Bundestag’s International Parliamentary Scholarship Programme. The aim is explicitly to create space for perspectives that are particularly important for the future of European cooperation.
France Day at the HU
On 9 July, HU and the Centre Marc Bloch are jointly inviting researchers from the Berlin University Alliance and other interested parties to France Day 2026. The event brings together funding organisations, researchers and students, as well as representatives from politics and civil society, and is dedicated to Franco-German relations. France Day focuses on academic networking, the exchange of ideas on Franco-German research collaborations, and raising awareness of funding opportunities and institutional partnerships.
Dr Yoan Vilain, Representative of the Executive Board for International and European Affairs: “We are linked to France by a multitude of outstanding and dynamic collaborations. For the past two years, we have been expanding these even more strategically with leading institutions. France Day will focus on how we can conduct even more research and teaching together – and how society as a whole can benefit from this academic collaboration.”
At a glance
France Day 2026
- When: 9 July 2026, 12 noon to 8 pm
- Where: Humboldt-Universität, Senatssaal, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin
Registration by 5 July 2026 at the latest.
‘35 Years of the Weimar Triangle: Impulses for the Future of Europe’
- When: 9 July 2026, 6 pm to 8 pm
- Where: Humboldt-Universität, Heilig-Geist-Kapelle, Spandauer Straße 1, 10178 Berlin
Registration by 5 July 2026 at the latest.
HU’s close ties with France
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has maintained close ties with France for many years and is committed to a wide range of collaborations in research, teaching and academic exchange. These include, amongst others, the strategic partnership with Paris Sciences et Lettres, an exchange programme with the Collège de France, collaboration with Campus Condorcet and Sciences Po, as well as partnerships within the framework of Circle U. and integrated study programmes with French partners such as Paris-Panthéon-Assas. HU’s affiliated institute, the Centre Marc Bloch, is a key facilitator of academic exchange in the social sciences between the two countries. With 54 partners in France and a total of 119 agreements, France is a key partner for HU. France is regularly the most popular Erasmus destination among students. In the 2025/2026 academic year, 167 HU students opted for an Erasmus semester abroad in France.
