Objective of the Congress
By way of analyzing those models as have been existing in respect of Europe in the course of history, this congress aims at showing their historical genesis and variety. Starting out from selected examples from the political-economic as well as the social-cultural fields, the congress will sketch different ways of using and instrumentalizing the concept of "Europe" as a model as well as work out those effects for sciences and the public as coming along with them, in order of discussing possible directions the process of European integration might take in future, as in the face of the changed situation in Europe and the challenges by a globalized world there is calling on the EU to "re-invent itself". However, there are different ideas of the shape of the future EU, which not at last are due to the history of Europe.