Karsten Weitzenegger is a member of Europa-Union Hamburg e.V. — the non-partisan association that has championed a united Europe for 75 years and counts approximately 17,000 members across Germany. As an international development consultant who works daily with European institutions — from the European Commission to EU Delegations worldwide — this membership is not a formality. It is a statement of conviction.
What Europa-Union Hamburg Does
The Europa-Union Hamburg is active at local, regional, national and European level. It operates the Info-Point Europa at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce as part of the European Commission’s Europe Direct network, providing citizens with access to information on all EU matters. The association is non-partisan, but by no means apolitical: it takes clear positions on democracy, the rule of law, and the institutional strength of the EU.
Its programme spans high-level discussions on European foreign policy and digital sovereignty through to interactive formats for school pupils and international business forums. Events such as the Ukraine Business Forum, AI-focused roundtables and the Long Night of Consulates illustrate the breadth of the network. At its founding in 1949, the association advocated the establishment of democratic and federal structures to enable genuine cooperation amongst European peoples — many of those early demands, from direct elections to the European Parliament to the introduction of the euro, have since become reality.
Why This Matters for International Development Consultants
Work in international development is inseparable from a strong and capable Europe. EU external financing instruments such as NDICI Global Europe, EFSD+ and Global Gateway determine which development programmes are funded, which partnerships are built, and which standards are set across the globe. Whoever wants to help shape this space requires more than technical expertise — they need to understand and engage with the European political context.
Europa-Union Hamburg offers precisely that: a network of people who treat Europe not as a backdrop but as an active political project. Its statute explicitly calls for the promotion of international understanding, tolerance across all areas of culture, and civic education — values that sit at the heart of development cooperation.
How to Join
Membership is open to any individual from the age of 16, as well as to legal entities and associations in both the private and public sectors. You can apply online directly. Membership requires acceptance of the statutes and objectives of both Europa-Union Hamburg e.V. and Europa-Union Deutschland e.V.
👉 Become a Member — europa-union-hamburg.de
Europe needs people who do not merely administer it, but actively advance it. In Hamburg. And across the world.
Karsten Weitzenegger is an independent consultant and evaluator in international development cooperation. He has worked with the European Commission, GIZ, BMZ, the World Bank and UN agencies for more than 25 years — across more than 40 countries. weitzenegger.de