Last Friday, March 14th, 2025, we hosted our annual Elysée Treaty Debate with 11th class students from both schools, the St. Kilian’s German School Dublin and the Lycée Français International Samuel Beckett (LFI) participating in two mixed teams. One proposition team and one opposition team convincingly proposed and opposed this year’s motion: “This house believes that Trump’s re-election threatens Europe’s future and its young people” to a full house of students from 10th and 11th classes and esteemed guests from the German and French Embassies in attendance. We were delighted to welcome the German Ambassador H.E David Gill and the French Ambassador H.E Céline Place along with the Cultural Attachés from both Embassies, Mr Xavier d’Argoeuves and Dr. Wolfram von Heynitz, to experience a simulation of a European Committee meeting at senior level through the three languages of our Eurocampus: German, French and English. We enjoyed a great morning and want to highly commend all 14 debaters for their outstanding performances delivering an impressive level of debate and rebuttel of the opponents’ arguments. All team members were confident, well prepared and used strong arguments raging widely from economics to politics for or against the motion in a total of 12 speeches. The adjudicators, Mr Xavier d’Argoeuves – Cultural Counsellor at the French Embassy, Dr. Wolfram von Heynitz – Cultural Attaché at the German Embassy and Mrs Linda Golden – a former teacher of St. Kilian’s and initiator of the debate, faced the difficult task of deciding on a winning team.
Congratulations to this year’s winners: the Proposition team with Adam (LFI), Michael (St. Kilian’s), Emma (LFI), Etienne Le Chanoine Du Manoir De Juaye (LFI), Camille (LFI), Filip (St. Kilian’s) and John (St. Kilian’s) who were presented with a Perpetual trophy. Well done to the Opposition team with Nicholas (St. Kilian’s), Thibaut (St. Kilian’s), Timothée (LFI), Conor (St. Kilian’s), Laura (St. Kilian’s), Zoé (LFI) and Kiara (LFI).
The debate was initiated in 2013 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the treaty of friendship signed between France and West Germany at the Elysée Palace in Paris in 1963. Now, after 12 years, we could not be prouder seeing it having grown into an important event in the Eurocampus school calendar allowing students of St. Kilian’s and the LFI to engage with European issues and to foster interest in their role as Europeans.
Thank you to the organising teachers, Ms Jones and Ms Scallan, for a wonderful debate, and to our head boy Bill and head girl Maria for being fantastic chairs and time keepers. Our gratitude also goes to Mrs Golden, the German and French Ambassadors and the Cultural Attaches from the German and French Embassies for their attendance and for their continuous support.
