From June 17 to 19, 2026, Zeppelin University's ZF Campus in Friedrichshafen hosted this year's Dreiländertagung, the joint conference of the German (DVPW), Austrian (ÖGPW), and Swiss (SVPW/ASSP) political science associations. Held under the title "Europe's Future - The Future of Europe: Internal Tensions and External Challenges," the conference brought together political scientists from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for three days of discussion on Europe's future.

The conference kicked off on Wednesday afternoon with "It's a Match!," an informal format connecting early-career researchers with more experienced colleagues. Five discussion tables covered topics such as securing research funding, navigating the academic job market, academic freedom and experiences of being targeted for one's research, science communication, and a "Meet the Editors" session with the Journal for International Relations.

Wednesday evening brought the official opening, with welcoming remarks from conference chair Prof. Dr. Simon Koschut and representatives of the DVPW, ÖGPW, and SVPW/ASSP. The highlight was a keynote by Herfried Münkler (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) titled "Europe in the Geopolitical Sandwich Position and What It Would Take to Escape It," moderated by Prof. Dr. Simon Koschut. A reception followed, giving attendees a chance to connect.

Thursday and Friday were dedicated to an extensive panel program, well over 60 panels in total, spanning a wide range of topics, including:

• European integration and EU politics, from capacity building and spending governance to EU environmental and social policy
  
• Democracy under pressure, covering democratic backsliding, defending democracy, right-wing extremism in academia, and state-level monitoring of democratic attitudes across Germany
  
• Migration and society, including perspectives on immigration, inclusion and exclusion, and digital migration governance
  
• Climate and energy policy, from the heat transition to energy justice and the political economy of the energy transition
  
• Voting behavior and party politics, ranging from electoral systems to party organization and populism
  
• International relations and foreign policy, with panels on Russia, the US, shifting geoeconomics, and international organizations
  

The program also included sessions on civic education, as well as several panels with a specific focus on Germany, Austria, and Switzerland; for instance on legislative processes or subnational elections across the three countries.

Thursday evening featured a panel discussion with representatives of the three associations: Thomas Widmer (SVPW/ASSP), Harald Edinger (ÖGPW), and Janne Mende (DVPW), on the role of political science and its professional associations in a changing Europe, moderated by Prof. Dr. Simon Koschut. The evening then wound down with the Dreiländertagung party on campus.