Ewald for president! Again, after Jens Fischer, a German debater is now holding the office as president of the EUDC Council sitting at the annual European Universities Debating Championship (EUDC or Euros): Marcus Ewald is the new EUDC president! He answered Willy Witthaut‘s question about his agenda about a European debating league and the new and complicated break system at Worlds.

Achte Minute: Hello Mr. President!
Marcus: Hello! First and foremost: I will be the president of all Europeans, not only of those, who voted for me.

Former and present EUDC presidents talking: Jens Fischer (left) and Marcus Ewald in Belgrade. (Picture: Henrik Maedler)

Achte Minute: You’ve just been elected president of the EUDC Council. Many of the German debaters might not know what that office means. Please explain your new job!

Marcus: The job of the president of the EUDC comittee and chair of the EUDC council is very simple, but important. Every year the council sits and decides about constitutional amendmends and who will host the EUDC the next year.

Achte Minute: What’s on your agenda? What may we expect from you this year?

Marcus: On the one hand, I will try to organize something like a European Debate League – more on that later. Moreover, a great majority of the European delegates agreed in council to encourage the world debating community to replace the current break system at worlds.

Achte Minute: What are these Partial Double Octo-Finals?

Marcus: Partial Double Octo Finals are a complicated break mechanism for the World Universities Debate Championships, in which every team with 18 teampoints breaks. Most of these and probably some teams on 19 teampoints would have to compete in partial double octo finals to reach the octo finals.

Achte Minute: How do you see the development of international debating in Germany?

Marcus: International Debating in Germany is steadily growing more important. Ever more Clubs are competing internationally – in the last several years clubs like Gutenberg, Stuttgart, Tübingen, Heidelberg and Aachen joined the international scene. Moreover, the runner ups to World and European Championships are from Germany. In the worlds council we are one of the so called A-Nations, which gives us a bigger say – and, of couse, the EUDC presidency is German again.

Achte Minute: What’s your opinion: Why should German deb socs go and compete at international tournaments?

Marcus: The wonderful thing every debater can experience on international tournaments – interesting people, good ideas, see something of the world – exist in national and international tournaments. But of course the impressions at international tournaments are a lot more divers: Serbs celebrate with Portuguese, French and Swedes, and everything happens in English. That’s just great fun and helps everyone to develop as a person.

Achte Minute: Last question: What was the most impressing in Belgrade?

Marcus: I think I speak for most people who have been there: We were all amazed to see that the Belgrade debating society – Open Communication – hosted the European Debating Championships only ten years after one of the last cruel dictatorships in Europe was brought down by a NATO war. A war, in which that very debating society was forbidden my Serbian rulers. From that point to now Open Communication managed to educate thousands of young students to develop critical thinking skills. That shows once again, that debating is not just a nerdy hobby, but that debating can actually mean and achieve something.

Achte Minute: Thank ou very much for the interview!

Interview: Willy Witthaut / apf