When the first "International Summer School Seggau" concluded on Friday 15 September 2006 with a small ceremony, it rained. During the previous 14 days: glorious sunshine. Symbolic...?

The last weeks and months prior to 2 September 2006 were hectic. After a break of more than a year, a COMECE summer university was to begin again on that day - with a new concept and for the first time also with partners. The first six summer universities during the years 1999-2004 were organized by the COMECE on its own responsibility as regards the programme and financing. They were directed primarily at young collaborators of the Bishop's Conferences in Europe and within and outside the EU area. After three events in the "old Member States" and after three in the then "future Member States" the General Secretariat decided to end this initiative because of the high cost. Questions and requests from former participants to continue what, in their view, was an important and unique event resulted in the decision being reconsidered.

During the walk on the pilgrimage journey to Santiago de Compostela in 2004, there emerged the plan for a new summer university, this time as a community project of the COMECE, the diocese of Graz-Seckau (Austria) and the Karl-Franzens University in Graz. The renewed initiative is directed at students of all faculties and schools of thought, independently of the faith to which they belong. Formal criteria are considered to be an academic level of thought, a previously completed initial academic phase (baccalaureate) and mastery of the English language. The idea behind this is relatively simple and compelling: unlike the previous summer university which was mainly directed at the "forum internum", this summer university is conceived as a forum in which the encounter with church and faith is made possible for students, especially by reference to their commitment in the area of (a Europe-oriented) social policy. In addition, through concrete meetings and common work, eating, discussion and celebration, the summer University seeks to promote the necessary discussion between young people from the "old" and the "new" Member States of the European Union (and the other countries of Europe). Finally, Europe and the European Union itself from various points of view, is to be a topic of this initiative. Hence also the title of the 2006 summer university: "State - Society - Religions: Levels of European Identity".

The project was financed by grants which were provided by a number of foundations, firms, bodies, Bishop's Conferences and individuals. Thanks are owed to the patrons: as far as can be currently foreseen, it was possible to cover the costs..

The  programme was drawn up in accordance with the plan content: during the mornings of the first week, there was a major key lecture on the main topic which was given by the Dortmund political scientist, Professor Thomas Meyer. The topics of his book, The Identity of Europe[1], constituted the framework for the search for the/a "European identity": the two major forms of democracy (libertarian/social), the question of the possibility of a political and cultural identity, the relationship between religion and politics. The other mornings were filled with lectures regarding individual fields: Europe and Islam (Professor Alibašič, Sarajevo), Europe and migration (Jan Stuyt SJ, Brussels), Former Yugoslavia (Norbert Mappes-Niediek, Graz), the European Union and democracy (Friedhelm Frischenschlager, Brussels) and the Alpine-Adriatic Region (Professor Kucher, Klagenfurt). During the afternoons, the students attended on a mandatory basis one of the five seminars in the areas of law, ethics, art, history and economics. At the end of the two weeks, exams had to be taken on these lectures - insofar as importance was attached to getting credit from the summer university for two (four in the case of seminar work which is to be submitted by November 2006) so-called ECTS points as regards home study. More than half of the participants registered for seminar work.

The evenings were devoted to additional lectures (Professor Bodenheimer, Basel; Ambassador McDonagh, Rome; Andrej Blatnik, Ljubljana), a film ("Across Borders") or remained free for discussions - which was in fact one of the main aims of the summer university. Thus Professor Meyer was often found in the café until late in the evening still in discussions with students.

The two weeks were completed with a visit on Saturday in Graz and with an excursion to Ljubljana where, inter alia, the students were received for a midday snack by the Austrian Ambassador. Or at least nearly all students: for students from Macedonia, Ukraine, Albania and Kosovo "freedom to travel in Europe" are currently only fine words - for them an alternative programme had to be found due to the lack or refusal of visas.

A resumé of the event can certainly be drawn up only after a thorough evaluation. Nevertheless we can already say that the summer university was a great experience  -for the participants and teaching staff and also for the organizers. We are already looking forward expectantly to the two planned continuations in 2007 and 2008.

Michael Kuhn

Sarah :

I work for the Irish Bishop's Conference. The summer university offers me the opportunity to reflect more deeply about matters which I encounter in daily work - as I do not always have sufficient time for reflection.

Anna :

At home in Estonia I previously never had the opportunity to speak with a Turk. The small  Turkish community lives very much  in seclusion and almost never appears in public. For this reason there are many prejudices against Turkey and Islam. Because of Serhan, Ismail and the other Turkish participants I was able to revise my prejudices.

Thomas :

I am actually much too young for participation in the summer university. Fortunately, however, importance was not attached exclusively to age and academic years. As a future lawyer in Graz, I am enjoying here in Seggau the interdisciplinary approach: looking over the garden fence of my own area of study and perceiving the other dimensions of the European integration project. I shall take away much from this for my next academic year.

Serhan :

As a Muslim who vigorously defends laicism at home in Turkey, I find the approach of Professor Meyer quite important: that religiously inspired people should have a place in politics without thereby making politics itself into (a particular)  religion. This is the way most participants here in Seggau think, no matter what religious community they belong to.

[1] Thomas Meyer, Die Identität Europas. Suhrkamp: Frankfurt,  2004