German Consul General to Speak at UA on the Future of Germany, Europe

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Lutz Görgens, the Consul General from the German Consulate in Atlanta, Ga., will speak at The University of Alabama Thursday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. in 118 Bibb-Graves Hall on the UA campus.

The title of his talk is “Germany and the Future of Europe.” The talk is free and open to the public.

Görgens, a native of Dusseldorf, Germany, is the official representative of the German government to the Southeastern United States.

During his career, Görgens has worked as a desk officer for the Federal Foreign Office in Bonn, Germany, and later as first secretary and head of the Economic Section for the German Embassy in Mexico. He later became a Deputy Consul General in Boston; head of the Economic Section in the German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey; and head of the European Internal Market Affairs Unit of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

According to Dr. Thomas Fox, chair of the UA’s department of modern languages and classics, Tuscaloosa is an important region for the German Consulate because of its concentration of German economic investment, the German expatriate community, and the sister city exchange with Schorndorf, Germany. Furthermore, Fox said Görgens’ visit comes at a pivotal point in the future of Germany and other European nations.

“As we speak, the future of Europe’s monetary union is in doubt because the financial markets are punishing several European countries for their unsustainable levels of debt,” Fox said. “Much of Europe is hoping Germany will bail out Greece and other troubled European economies, but that solution is politically very unpopular in Germany.”

During his talk, Görgens will address these issues as well as how they affect the United States. His talk is sponsored by the department of modern languages and classics, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Alabama-Germany Partnership.

The College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Its students have won national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.