Europe’s Battle over the Meaning of Democracy

This Danube Institute event brings together German political theorist Philip Manow, author of the widely discussed Unter Beobachtung (2024), and Stefan Auer, professor of European Studies at the University of Hong Kong, to examine Europe’s fundamental conflict over the meaning of democracy.

Manow argues that contemporary liberal understandings of democracy - with their strong emphasis on minority rights and constitutionalism - have gradually moved away from older conceptions of democracy and the rule of law centred on popular sovereignty and electoral choice.

Auer complements this perspective by analysing how euro-federalism and technocratic governance have strained democratic legitimacy within the European Union, often in the name of “democracy” itself.

Together, the speakers frame Europe’s current democratic tensions not as a simple clash between democracy and authoritarianism, but as a conflict between competing democratic traditions shaped by different historical experiences and philosophical assumptions.

Featured Speakers:

• Prof. Philip Manow, Professor of International Political Economy, University of Siegen; Author of Unter Beobachtung (2024)
• Prof. Stefan Auer, Professor of European Studies, University of Hong Kong; Author of European Disunion (2022)
  Moderator: Dr. Eric Hendriks, Visiting Fellow, Danube Institute

Details: 

Date & time: Tuesday, March 3, 2025, 4:00 P.M.
Venue: Lónyay-Hatvany Villa, 1 Csónak Street, 1015 Budapest (Entrance: Aranybástya Restaurant)
Gate opens at 3:30 P.M.
Language: English

Participation is free; however, due to limited seating, pre-registration is required by clicking the button below.