Sciences Po awards a doctorate honoris causa to Angela Merkel for her commitment to European integration

Tuesday 27 June 2023 at 6:00 pm (UTC +2)

Amphithéâtre Emile Boutmy

27 rue Saint Guillaume, 75 007 Paris

4:00pm: Press briefing by Mathias Vicherat, President of Sciences Po and Arancha Gonzàlez, Dean of Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA)

Accreditations for the conference and press briefing: media@sciencespo.fr

Paris 21 June 2023 - By awarding a doctorate honoris causa to Angela Merkel, Sciences Po is honouring a stateswoman with an exceptional career, and one of the most influential figures in the construction of post-Cold War Europe. Chancellor for over fifteen years, she has worked tirelessly to promote Franco-German friendship and international cooperation, and played a key role in the migration crisis of 2015.

Sciences Po committed to both European values and Franco-German friendship

Sciences Po, as a worldwide ranked university, is firmly dedicated to defending European values and the construction process. In their recent book Une Jeunesse Engagée (An Involved Youth), political scientists Martial Foucault and Anne Muxel highlighted that over 97% of 

Sciences Po’s students are in favour of the European project. Mathias Vicherat’s ambition is to place Europe at the core of the curriculum and research. Consequently, it is a major priority when recruiting professors and researchers as part of the ongoing reinforcement of our permanent faculty.

Sciences Po is also a key player in Franco-German friendship. German students are the second most represented nationality among international students, numbering 708 in 2022-2023. Our institution has also partnered with 27 German universities and has three dual degree agreements with both Freie Universität Berlin and Hertie School. Cooperation between Sciences Po, as a world-class research university in social sciences, and Germany also takes the form of numerous research collaborations.

Angela Merkel is the 28th public figure to receive an honorary doctorate from Sciences Po, preceded by Boutros Boutros Ghali (in 1993), Vàclav Havel (in 2009), Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, also known as Lula (in 2011), and, more recently, Elena Zhemkova from the Russian organisation Memorial, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. 

Regarding the procedure for awarding honorary doctorates 

Thanks to a decree signed in 1974, Sciences Po is entitled to award the title of doctor honoris causa. 

This decree states that the title of honorary doctor is awarded by the president or the director of the university to foreign figures, for outstanding services to arts, literature, science and technology, to France or to the institution awarding the title.

This distinction can be awarded after approval by the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, on the proposal of the competent councils of the establishment.

“Awarding an honorary doctorate to Angela Merkel is both a great honour and a highly special act for Sciences Po. The European values of humanism, liberty and solidarity, for which Angela Merkel has worked so hard, are at the core of our institution. We are witnessing the great come-back of Europe, while the events of recent years remind us of its fundamental role. By honouring the woman who, in the midst of a major migratory crisis in 2015, courageously and simply stated: "Wir schaffen das" ("We will make it"), Sciences Po is clearly demonstrating its desire to support those who are deprived of their freedom and victims of persecution. Lastly, we share Angela Merkel's ambition to strengthen European integration and the Franco-German friendship.". Mathias Vicherat, President of Sciences Po. 

About Sciences Po

Founded around values of openness and excellence, Sciences Po is a selective research university of international standing whose unique model associates a specialization in social sciences and humanities and a multidisciplinarity and a professional anchoring to train actors that can understand and transform society. 

PR contacts :

Romain Becker & Camille Kress : media@sciencespo.fr / +33 1 45 49 50 79