From the collapse of the French government earlier this month to the dismantling of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition over a no-confidence vote, the two largest EU economies are facing an unprecedented leadership crisis, plunging the 27-member bloc into rising socio-economic uncertainty.

French President Emmanuel Macron is currently struggling on with a seemingly weak administration and without any budget for 2025, forcing lawmakers to roll over this year’s financial blueprint instead.

Meanwhile in Germany, early snap elections in February could significantly weaken the pro-EU camp, as the rising far-right AfD campaigns to reassess the country’s EU membership.

Are the European Union’s institutions strong enough to withstand this growing uncertainty? We’ll find out.

After 9:50, we’re talking about the devastating cyclone which ripped through the Comoros archipelago of Mayotte, France’s most impoverished territory.

9:05am-9:50am: Leadership crisis in France and Germany

9:05am-9:30am: Uwe Steinhoff, Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong

9:05am-9:50am: Sandra Marco Colino, Associate Professor of Law, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

9:05am-9:50am: Éric Sautedé, Lecturer and Project Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, Hong Kong Baptist University

9:50am-10:00am: Devastating cyclone in the French territory of Mayotte

9:50am-10:00am: Éric Sautedé, Lecturer and Project Coordinator of the Jean Monnet Centre ofExcellence, Hong Kong Baptist University