Markus Scholz at the Passau Politics Days

On June 11, the Passau Politics Days took place at the University of Passau under the motto "The power of markets - what price do our values have?". Experts from politics, business and academia came together to debate how economic interests can remain compatible with fundamental values - and what consequences this has for Europe's role in the geopolitical arena.

The discussion was moderated by Britta Jacob, Senior Fellow at the Democratic Strategy Initiative. Claudia Oeking, Head of Public Affairs Germany at Airbus, and Andreas Burkhardt, Managing Director of the Bavarian Junior Chamber of Commerce, provided input from the business world. Bernd Hüttemann, Secretary General of the European Movement Germany, and Prof. Dr. Markus Scholz, Professor of Business Administration & Responsible Management at TU Dresden- IHI Zittau, shed light on the academic perspective.

The central topic was how economic growth can still be combined with a value-oriented foreign policy: Does a clear claim to values in trade inevitably lead to disadvantages for European companies? And how do we deal with economic relations with states that systematically violate human rights? Is this unavoidable for purely pragmatic reasons, or should our principles be more important to us? The participants provided insights into how companies react, or should react, when it comes to protecting their own values as a consequence of external pressure.

At a political level, it also became clear that a value-driven foreign policy would benefit above all from significantly stronger and more transparent communication of interests, as otherwise efforts often come across as cynical and patronizing.

The discussion underlined that democratic institutions are not just normative cornerstones, but indispensable components of a capable economy. Those who circumvent them for short-term economic gain risk long-term disadvantages. At the same time, it was emphasized that the current geopolitical situation offers a unique opportunity for Europe to translate these insights into a sustainable strategy and position itself as a reliable partner in a value-based world order.