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Sebastian Schäffer

@sschaeffer.eurosky.social
278 followers 181 following 439 posts

Director @idmvienna.bsky.social Associate Fellow @GLOBSEC Founder and CEO @SSCEurope

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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 13/10/2026
There is a lot of nostalgia in European politics, yet we rarely seem to be nostalgic about EU enlargement. Why not remember a time when borders became easier to cross and Europe grew together? Maybe we simply need better storytellers. My thoughts at the Danube Future Forum in Belgrade.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 07/10/2026
The EU is getting serious about enlargement again. But is it ready to change itself? On @tvpworld.bsky.social today: QMV, gradual integration, rule-of-law safeguards and Ukrainian agriculture. Transitional arrangements must not become permanent second-class membership.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 05/10/2026
Supporting Ukraine is not charity. It is about defending our own security. Europe cannot outsource that security indefinitely. And we should not only support Ukraine, we should learn from it. Back on QNews discussing Germany, Ukraine and why without a just peace, there is just peace.
Screenshot form the interview, showing the moderator, a segment from an interview that Zelenskyy and Merz gave and Sebastian Schäffer
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 29/09/2026
The political centre will not recover by simply defending the status quo. In my latest Q News interview, I argue that Europe needs to get better at telling a story about the future, instead of leaving the field to those selling an imagined past. www.youtube.com/watch?v=okoY...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026
Sometimes it is just black and white. Two recent comments for @tvpworld.bsky.social on very different questions of European security.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 25/09/2026
I have spoken quite a bit about the AfD result already, so one point only: The answer is not to copy the AfD. It is to deliver. On the economy, migration, security and the belief that politics can still change things for the better. My latest conversation with Fair Observer:
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026
The results are in. After my interview with @tvpworld.bsky.social this morning, one point feels essential: we should not reduce these elections to a simple story about the rise of the AfD and the decline of the established parties.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026
Yesterday on QNews I spoke about the Graham Act, possible peace talks and the consequences for Europe. The Act gives Washington new leverage, but it is not an immediate sanctions package against Russia. How it will actually be used remains uncertain.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 08/09/2026
The most important number in Saxony-Anhalt is not the AfD’s 43.8%. It is the CDU’s 17.2%. That is the real story of this election.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 03/09/2026
A full room in Podgorica yesterday for an excellent discussion on how to make EU enlargement more understandable, relevant and engaging for citizens. Thank you to everyone who joined: diplomats, government representatives, civil-society actors and journalists.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 30/08/2026
“Bangaranga” is what Kremlin talking points sound like to me: catchy, repetitive and annoying. Cognitive resilience means recognising the pattern, checking claims and not letting repetition turn propaganda into plausibility. Glad that Qnews makes room for these conversations. Link below.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 25/08/2026
AfD gains not only from migration, but from distrust, insecurity and mainstream weakness. Copying its rhetoric will not win voters back. Leaving Schengen and the euro is not a solution. It is economic and political self-harm. Austria shows: normalising the far right strengthens it.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 18/08/2026
Hybrid threats against Germany are not confined to cyberspace. Disinformation, foreign interference, sabotage and attacks on critical infrastructure aim to create insecurity and undermine trust in democratic institutions.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 12/08/2026
Spoke to TVP World on the AfD polling at 42% in Saxony-Anhalt. This is a danger to democracy, with consequences far beyond Magdeburg. A weaker Germany could mean a weaker Europe, less strategic leadership and less certainty for Ukraine.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 11/08/2026
Jabloko darf nicht zur Wahl antreten. 2009 habe ich bei der Wahl zur Moskauer Stadtduma Jabloko gewählt. Ohne Wahlrecht. Die Geschichte dazu steht in meinem Buch Ukraine & Moldau nach Europa – sofort!. Meldung und Buch im ersten Kommentar.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 08/08/2026
Ukraine’s resilience is extraordinary but resilience is not a substitute for air defence, energy repairs and sustained European support. On QNews, I discussed Serbia, the South Caucasus, Black Sea trade and Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy system.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 03/08/2026
Talked about productive impatience, fatherhood, mentorship, and the fact that none of us has this fully figured out at The Dr. Rod Berger Show. Humility is not weakness. It is how we keep learning. Thank you for one of the most challenging but also interesting conversations I have had recently!
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 14/07/2026
I returned to War & Politics 24 to discuss what the Kremlin’s latest statements really tell us about the war against Ukraine. Russia is under pressure at home, while strikes on refineries are hitting its war economy. Thanks to Maxym Krapivnyy for the invitation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaw0...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 04/07/2026
Returned to on Qnewsegy to talk about the upcoming NATO summit, to discuss the upcoming NATO summit, the grim milestone of 2 million casualties in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and likely future developments on the battlefield and in Western support. www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXHH...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 03/07/2026
Great discussion today on connectivity, regional cooperation & European perspectives in the South Caucasus with Federica Mangiameli (GLOBSEC) & Rusif Huseynov, moderated by Ninon Bouteloup. Also glad to see IDM and the Topchubashov Center sign an MoU. Recording: www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6kX...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 22/06/2026
🇲🇩🇪🇺 56% of EU citizens support enlargement but national divides tell a different story. Spoke with Moldova 1 in Chișinău: Moldova may be ready before key EU capitals are. Building alliances matters as much as reforms. 🗓️ Timely on Moldova–EU Summit day. 👉 youtu.be/LOl9LA2VtD4?...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 15/06/2026
Yesterday’s missile attack on Kyiv and the damage to the Pechersk Lavra cathedral underline what I discuss in a new FO° Talks with Rohan Khattar Singh: how Trump’s focus on the Iran war affects support for Ukraine and European security: www.idm.at/en/idm-direc...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 06/06/2026
Great format by Qnews, pleasure to appear on Think Tank. The momentum in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is shifting, we do want to have Kyiv on our side, therefore we need to continue and expand our support. youtu.be/zPdCTY5RF1o?...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 29/05/2026
🇺🇦🇪🇺 Friedrich Merz has proposed "associate membership" for Ukraine, presenting it as a pragmatic bridge toward full EU accession. Together with @sophiabeiter.bsky.social, I argue that European history should give us pause. Read the full article here: www.linkedin.com/pulse/associ...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 20/05/2026
🇦🇹🇭🇺🇨🇿🇸🇰🇸🇮🇭🇷 Neuer Gastbeitrag in Die Presse PéterTechet: www.diepresse.com/24805725/die... Warum die Zeit reif ist für eine „Schönbrunn Six" – und wie sie funktionieren könnte. 📄 IDM Policy Paper dazu: www.idm.at/idm-pps-5-20...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 13/05/2026
Nuclear threats and parade warnings project strength at home but in foreign policy terms, they can equally be read as signs of growing weakness. New interview on Kremlin propaganda, factions inside Russia, and the question: what comes after Putin? www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkn-...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 12/05/2026
If you had told me that I would be arguing for a new minilateral format in a policy paper, I would have laughed. But here we are. Drafted somewhere in the Carpathian Mountains, and sharpened together with Peter Techet. Many thanks to our excellent editors! www.idm.at/idm-pps-5-20...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 08/05/2026
Since January, I have been teaching a course together with the wonderful Oleksandra Demianenko. We had a series of excellent guest lectures, thanks to Iryna Tsilyk, Sophia Beiter, Rebecca Thorne, and Peter Techet. It was an enriching experience overall, and I am very grateful for the opportunity.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 05/05/2026
Today I had the pleasure of delivering opening words at the International Research and Practice Conference on the transformation of private law in the context of EU integration.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 24/04/2026
Looking forward to returning to Ivan Franko National University of Lviv for what has now become a bit of a tradition. This time on the question of why there is no nostalgia for EU enlargement: www.idm.at/events/why-i...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 22/04/2026
Buchpräsentation heute: Werner Anzenbergers Aufbruch ins Innere Europas 📚 Großartige Diskussion darüber, warum Europa – bei allem Frust – noch immer das Verteidigen wert ist. Und ich bin jetzt offiziell „Direktor schwieriger Gespräche”. Könnte schlechter laufen. m.youtube.com/watch?v=1qS2...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 15/04/2026
Nostalgie für den Schilling, für nationale Selbstgewissheit – aber nicht für Erweiterung. Dabei ist sie Europas größte Erfolgsgeschichte. Neuer Gastkommentar mit @sophiabeiter.bsky.social in @diepressecom.bsky.social 👇 www.diepresse.com/20767975
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 13/04/2026
A lame-duck supermajority can still reshape the constitutional landscape before a new government takes office. This is not without precedent it's exactly how Orbán's system was built.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 13/04/2026
🇭🇺 While democratic forces are celebrating what looks like a path toward Scenario E "Democratic Renewal", a reminder: The old parliament still sits and Fidesz has a two-thirds majority there. That makes Scenario D "Constitutional Crisis" a live threat, not a hypothetical.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 12/04/2026
Shortly before the polls opened, I talked about the wider geopolitical implications of Hungary’s pivotal vote with AzerNews www.azernews.az/analysis/256...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 27/03/2026
Russia is not just fighting one war – it is enabling two. I spoke with Asharq News on the links between Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and the escalation involving Iran, and what this means for EU unity and Europe’s strategic capacity: www.idm.at/idm-director...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 27/03/2026
At IDM, my colleague Péter Techet and I have just published a new study outlining six possible scenarios for the aftermath.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 27/03/2026
Almost two weeks before Hungary’s parliamentary elections on 12 April, the political landscape remains uncertain. Depending on the outcome, the vote could lock in more years of Orbán’s course, open a phase of political fragmentation, or trigger deeper institutional and constitutional tensions.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 19/03/2026
Great exchange today at the Lithuanian Embassy in Vienna with Ambassador Lina Rukštelienė, together with Sophia Beiter. We discussed Lithuania’s role in the region, continued support for Ukraine, and what comes next for EU enlargement. Looking forward to taking this forward together!
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 17/03/2026
Great to welcome Igor Kogut at IDM yesterday! We worked together on the study “Ukrainian Parliament in Wartime“ and are planning to deepen our cooperation in the coming months. We also discussed my upcoming visit to Kyiv. Always a pleasure to build on our shared efforts for Ukraine’s future.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 12/03/2026
The initial idea for this publication started almost exactly a year ago, when I asked myself a simple but unsettling question: what can the EU actually do if a head of state or government refuses to accept that they have lost an election and still shows up at the next European Council summit?
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 05/03/2026
Back in Berlin again, keynoting tonight at the 11th Danube Salon at the Representation of Baden-Württemberg. My case: EU enlargement is Europe’s smartest strategic investment. The Danube doesn’t ask permission to flow eastward. Neither should Europe. 🌊
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 18/02/2026
Since one month I have been giving lectures together with Oleksandra Demianenko on European integration for the Austro American Institute of Education. Today we had the pleasure of welcoming the wonderful author and filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk as our guest. Thank you Ganna Gnedkova for the connection!
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 09/02/2026
TIL: CIA shuts down its global reference after decades, leaving researchers, educators, and the curious in the dark. Knowledge dies in silence. Knowledge dies in silence: www.cia.gov/stories/stor...
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 08/02/2026
Back on Alghad TV last night. Trump’s June deadline is creating pressure and has coincided with limited movement, including a POW exchange. That matters. But the pressure is volatile: Washington’s priorities shift quickly, and speed currently outweighs sustainability. #Ukraine
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 30/01/2026
Lectured on EU enlargement for Next Visionaries, solid talk with young Ukrainians on WB/Ukraine. Thanks Oleksandra for the invite, @sophiabeiter.bsky.social’s Charlemagne Prize Fellowship research laid the solid foundation that let me build on with a few thoughts. #EUenlargement #Ukraine
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 23/01/2026
EU-Erweiterung, Ukraine, Moldau, Westbalkan – das sind keine abstrakten Themen, sondern Fragen unserer europäischen Zukunft. Im Rahmen des @oeadworldwide.bsky.social-Programms „Wissenschaftsbotschafter/innen“ durfte ich an der HLS Erla mit Schüler:innen darüber diskutieren.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 21/01/2026
Spoke with Alghad TV today, referring also to Trump’s remarks in Davos. Pressure first, announcements second, reversals later — without a clear framework. Saying today that tariffs will not be imposed does not mean the position will not change tomorrow. That uncertainty is part of the problem.
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 19/01/2026
Die Einladung der AfD zur Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz war kein Protokollfehler, sondern ein politisches Signal. Im Interview mit Expresso habe ich erklärt, warum sicherheitspolitische Foren klare rote Linien brauchen –
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Sebastian Schäffer @sschaeffer.eurosky.social · 28/12/2025
Earlier this year, the complex a close friend in Kyiv was hit. Yesterday, another close friend’s building, on the other side of the river, was struck. This is not random. It takes massive, systematic attacks on civilians to make this “chance” possible. Fuck Russia. And fuck those who enable it.
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