The German Council on Foreign Relations (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik, DGAP) and the Mercator Foundation (Stiftung Mercator), in collaboration with EUROPE DIRECT Essen, part of the City of Essen, are hosting a highly topical panel discussion on Monday, 20 July 2026. The evening event, entitled ‘A Turning Point in European Security: Social Cohesion in Times of Hybrid Threats’ (Zeitenwende in der europäischen Sicherheit: Gesellschaftlicher Zusammenhalt in Zeiten von hybriden Bedrohungen), will begin at 6 pm at the Mercator Foundation’s premises (Huyssenallee 40, 45128 Essen).
Together with the panellists and you, they would like to discuss how hybrid threats such as disinformation, cyber-attacks and attacks on military and civilian infrastructure can be identified, and how the federal government, the Länder and local authorities can address them. The focus will be on how Russia operates in Europe, what social and institutional resilience means, and how it can be strengthened. The invited panellists include Nathanael Liminski (Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia), Dr Annegret Bendiek (Senior Fellow, German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Susanne Klatt (Head of the Civil Protection and Crisis Management Department, Essen City Fire Brigade), Colonel (ret.) Dipl.-Ing. Inform. Sönke Marahrens (Bundeswehr Centre for Digitalisation) and Milad Tabesch (Founder, Ruhrpott für Europa). The discussion will be moderated by Dr Mario Baumann, Research Fellow at the Centre for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia (DGAP). Dr Christian Straube, Interim Head of the Europe in the World division at the Mercator Foundation, will deliver the opening address.
If you are interested in attending, please register by 13 July 2026 via this link. Please note that attendance is only possible following prior registration and confirmation of your place. If you have any further questions, please contact Ricarda Nierhaus (nierhaus@dgap.org).
Further information about the event can be found here.
