Recharge Europe - if not with batteries or ammunition, then certainly with ideas. Through two eye-opening seminars and countless conversations, we deepened our understanding of global challenges and sharpened our ability to think across disciplines.

Digital crime: a world without borders

One of the seminars we attended, titled “Unveiling Modern Crime: Tackling Cybercrime in a Globalised World”, led by European experts Bernhard Haslhofer (Complexity Science Hub) and Thomas Goger (Bavarian Central Office for the Prosecution of Cybercrime) opened our eyes to the shadowy and complex world of digital crime: a world without borders, where criminal networks operate globally, anonymously. 

From tracing the movement of cryptocurrencies, to exploring illicit online marketplaces on the dark web, the course left us more alert and, admittedly, a little more anxious each day.

Cybercrime remains an under-discussed and poorly understood threat.

What became clear is that cybercrime remains an under-discussed and poorly understood threat. Our major takeaway: report cybercrime to local authorities. Underreporting keeps the scale of the threat hidden, making it harder for law enforcement to act.

As the Seminar Week concluded, our second seminar, chaired by Siobhán McInerney-Lankford (EU Fundamental Rights Agency) and Mark Leonard (European Council on Foreign Relations), bridged the worlds of geopolitics, human rights, and climate change. We focused on how climate change directly affects vulnerable people: rising sea levels, extreme heatwaves, and the spread of new diseases already threaten basic human rights such as housing, health, and food security. The seminar concluded today with an interactive mock court, in which we debated whether the EU should take on a more assertive normative role in regulating the intersection between climate change and human rights. A crucial debate European policymakers must have now.

Rising sea levels, extreme heatwaves, and the spread of new diseases already threaten basic human rights such as housing, health, and food security. 

In collaboration with Club Alpbach Südtirol Alto Adige, Germany and Brussels, we also hosted a fireside chat with Ms. McInerney-Lankford. In a lively discussion, participants explored the current state of human rights in Europe. One of the most interesting inputs was on the crucial, often overlooked role of the Council of Europe, a key actor in upholding human rights across the continent, an institution that deserves far more recognition than it currently receives.

Besides these educational seminars and exchanges with experts, our experience here is enriched by the many informal opportunities to talk and debate with young people from across Europe and the world. After one intense and inspiring week, we confidently say: Europe has been recharged with critical questions, fresh insights, and most importantly, new friendships.