2025
5th Annual Conference of the
Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE)
History at all costs?
16-17 October 2025, Strasbourg & online
Economics has played a central role throughout history, and the study of economic crises is particularly important for understanding how societies demonstrate resilience and adaptability in times of financial collapse. From the Great Depression of the 1930s to the financial crisis of 2008, and from the monetary crises of the 19th century to those of medieval and ancient times, these events offer vital lessons on risk management, public policies, and the social effects of economic downturns. Teaching about these crises transforms history into a key tool for understanding contemporary challenges. It encourages students to explore multiple perspectives which are essential to grasping the complexity of economic crises and for preventing the repetition of past mistakes. Integrating the study of economic crises into history education helps students sharpen their critical thinking skills, understand the origins and consequences of economic collapse, and analyse contemporary economic issues - preparing them to actively engage in debates about the future of European societies.
During its 5th Annual Conference the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) will publish its second Thematic Report on "Economic crises in history teaching" - the result of extensive collaboration with education authorities of the OHTE member states, experts from the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media / Georg-Eckert Institute, under the supervision of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council. It provides a clear overview of how economic crises – their origins, effects, and societal impacts are taught in secondary-level history education.
With one keynote speech (OHTE Talks) and an Oxford style debate (OHTE Debate) involving history students and senior figures in politics and academia, the OHTE Annual Conference promises to raise the level of discussion on the role of history in understanding the present and shaping the future.
PROGRAMME
last update 06/10/2025
09:30 - 10:30 - OPENING SESSION “HISTORY AT ALL COSTS”
Opening words
Bjørn BERGE, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Francesca CAMILLERI VETTIGER, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Malta to the Council of Europe, Representative of the Maltese Presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers
Moderation
Alex TAYLOR, European journalist
Opening session
Sofia ZACHARAKI, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece
Yevhen KUDRIAVETS, First Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Ukraine (online)
Josep Anton BARDINA PAU, Secretary of State for Education and Universities, Andorra
Dimitris P. SOTIROPOULOS, Chair of the OHTE Governing Board
10:30 - 12:30 - OHTE DEBATE "HISTORY AND POLITICS - THE UNBREAKABLE BOND?"
In today’s world, citizens often find themselves trapped in echo chambers, swayed by emotion-driven content on social media, and pushed toward polarised views. Space for dialogue and mutual understanding is shrinking. Could debates help restore reasoned exchange? Could they offer citizens a way to shape their own opinions, in their own space, while recognising that no complex issue has a simple yes-or-no answer? Inspired by the Oxford model, the inaugural edition of the OHTE Debates will address the motion: “History should not be used as a political tool”. The event will spotlight outstanding students from several countries in a House debate, followed by an engaging exchange with leading European personalities.
Moderation
Alex TAYLOR, European journalist
House Format
Jonah BERGER, PhD Researcher in History, European University Institute of Florence
Albana BIKAJ, MA in History of Political Thought and Intellectual History, University College London and Queen Mary University of London
Ellie DOUSKA, PhD student in Contemporary History, University Jean Moulin Lyon III – LARHRA Lyon
Andrii KARPENKO, MA in History, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Pietro MASSAINI, PhD student in Political Sciences at University of Rome La Sapienza and University of Strasbourg
Anne DE MONTLAUR, Master student in English and American History at the ENS Paris-Saclay and in Public Policy at the Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas
Debaters
Sonja LICHT, President of the Foundation BFPE for a Responsible Society
Markus MECKEL, Former Diplomat and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic
Observer
Alain LAMASSOURE, Former French Minister and Founding President of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe
14:00 - 15:30 - PLENARY SESSION 1: "HISTORY EDUCATION: A SAFE BET FOR DEMOCRACY"
Placing trust in history to reinforce democracy and its fundamental values seems a fairly safe choice. Yet, as with any venture, some risks remain: how can we ensure that history education truly reflects and supports these values? This is a crucial question because if we fail, history teaching risks becoming a tool for ideologies that run counter to democracy.
Moderation
Alex TAYLOR, European Journalist
Panel
Joëlle ALAZARD, Chair of the Association of Professors of History and Geography (APHG), Lycée Louis-le-Grand, Paris
Niklas AMMERT, Professor of History, Pro Vice-Chancellor at Linnaeus University, Member of the International Network of Historical Consciousness and Democracy (INoHiDe)
Lise BUTLER, Doctor in Modern History, Senior Lecturer in Modern History, City St. George’s, University of London
Eva-Clarita PETTAI, Doctor in Political Science, Free University of Berlin and Director of Studies at the Europäische Acadamie of Schleswig-Holstein
Villano QIRIAZI, Head of Education Department, Council of Europe
15:30 - 16:00 - SCREENING: “IS DEMOCRACY WORTH THE TROUBLE?”
This session will present the documentary that gathers the learnings of “Changing Democracies”, a European project that explores how Europe's living history about recent transitions to democracy can help us to grasp what processes are needed today for democracy to fulfil its promises for everyone. It is the result of a collaboration between 12 partners from 10 European countries and was coordinated by the Evens Foundation and EuroClio with funding from the European Commission.
Presenters
Eugenie KHATSCHATRIAN, Project Manager and Operations Coordinator, EuroClio
Marjolein DELVOU, Programme Curator, Evens Foundation
16:30 - 18:00 - OHTE TALK: "TEACHING HISTORY IN A WORLD WITHOUT CONSENSUS"
In this new OHTE Talk, the importance for democracies of investing in high-quality history teaching will be underlined. In a world marked by disagreements and polarisation, history education can both offer younger generations the prospect of a democratic and peaceful future, and equip them with the tools to understand and face today’s complex challenges.
Yascha MOUNK, Political Scientist and author, Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, Washington D.C., USA and Visiting Professor at Sciences-Po Paris
Moderation
Matjaž GRUDEN, Director for Democracy, Council of Europe
9:00 - 10:30 - PLENARY SESSION 2: "ECONOMIC CRISES IN HISTORY TEACHING: WHAT SUPPLY, WHAT DEMAND?"
This session will enable those involved in the production of the OHTE's second Thematic Report on Economic Crises in History Teaching to present its main findings. The audience will be encouraged to take part in the discussions, focusing on how economic crises are taught in history education across Europe.
WITH
Steffen SAMMLER, Historian at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media I Georg Eckert Institute and senior lecturer at the Technical University of Braunschweig; co-ordinator of the group of experts responsible for drafting the second OHTE Thematic Report
Ann-Laure LIEVAL, Member of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council, Professeure agrégée of History & Teacher Trainer, Lycée Fénélon of Lille
Moderation
Raul CÂRSTOCEA, Professor of History, Maynooth University
11:00 - 12:30 - PLENARY SESSION 3: "THE COST OF FORGETTING: WHY ECONOMIC CRISES SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN HISTORY"
Based on the findings of the OHTE’s second Thematic Report on Economic Crises in History Teaching, this session will provide the opportunity to discuss in-depth the place of economic crises and economy in history teaching and why this is relevant for learners. Through concrete examples and diverse perspectives, we'll see that economic crises have played a major role throughout history in forming our modern societies, in all their facets.
Moderation
Olena PALKO, Assistant Professor at the Chair for East-European History at the University of Basel, Chair of the OHTE Scientific Advisory Council
Panel
Marco COKIĆ, PhD Student in Economic History, LSE | London School of Economics and Political Science
Francesco BOLDIZZONI, Professor of Economic History, University of Palermo
George PAGOULATOS, Greek Ambassador to the OECD, Professor of European Politics and Economy at the School of Economics of the Athens University of Economics and Business, and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe
Aliette QUINT, Chair of HENSOLDT Nexeya France, Representative of Plus Europa
12:30 - 13:00 - CLOSING SESSION: "5 YEARS OF OHTE – INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF HISTORY TEACHING"
Moderation
Aurora AILINCĂI, Executive Director of the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe
Conference report
Serena GANDOGONON, Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg
Vladimir GILG, Student at Sciences Po Strasbourg
Closing words
Marja RUOTANEN, Director General of Democracy and Human Dignity, Council of Europe
Pap NDIAYE, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe
SIDE EVENTS
“MEMORIES OF THE 20TH CENTURY: WHAT CROSS-BORDER AND EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE?”
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 12:30 – 16:00 (CET), 1 Place Adrien Zeller, Strasbourg
“HISTORY: A WEAPON OF WAR AND A BULWARK OF DEMOCRACY”
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 18:30 – 20:00 (CET), Lieu d’Europe, Strasbourg
Panel discussion organised by the City and Eurometropole of Strasbourg
Only in French, no interpretation
Moderation
Nora TAFIROULT, Speaker Media
Helena KONDAK, Speaker Media
Panel
Joëlle ALAZARD, Senior History Teacher at Lycée Louis-le-Grand, PhD in History, and President of the French Association of History and Geography Teachers (APHG)
Alain BLUM, Director of Studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), and Research Director at the French National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED)
Pap NDIAYE, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the Council of Europe
