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Meeting President Macron: A quick chat with Sylvia Schwaag Serger

Emmanuel Macron and Sylvia Schwaag Serger, portrait photos.

When President Emmanuel Macron visits Studentafton on Wednesday, 31 January 2024, it is Sylvia Schwaag Serger, Professor of Economic History at LUSEM, who will moderate the conversation. As proud as we are curious, we asked her a few quick questions ahead of her exciting talk.

How did it come about that you will be moderating the French President Emmanuel Macron when he visits Studentafton?  

“I’m not sure, I was asked by the organisers (the students); The fact that I have a degree in French literature and advise the EU Commission on research, innovation and sustainability policies may have played a role. Also, my PhD thesis was about European integration.”

Have you met him before?

“No.”

What do you hope to discuss with him? 

“It depends on his opening remarks but some topics that come to mind are democracy, innovation, education and how to achieve a green and resilient Europe (I’ve met several times with the students in charge to identify relevant topics).”

Will it be in French? 

“No, though the preparations have been a good opportunity to dust off my French 😉.”


As the tradition holds, the Studentafton will consist of two segments. First, there will be a moderated dialogue with H.E President Emmanuel Macron. This will be followed by a Q&A session where the students of Lund can ask questions directly to H.E President Emmanuel Macron. Source: Studentafton

Articles about the event (in Swedish):

Lundagård: Då släpps biljetterna till Macron – och hon blir moderator

Sydsvenskan: Det här ska Macron och kungen göra i Lund

Contact

Sylvia Schwaag Serger
Professor

With two decades of expertise, Sylvia Schwaag Serger specialises in research and innovation policy, emphasising Europe, China, and international S&T relations. Combining public policy, political science, and economic history, she brings an interdisciplinary and comparative approach, informed by extensive policy experience in Nordic countries, Germany, and the EU. She also explores the interaction between science and policymaking.

Profile in the LU Research portal