On 28 November 2017, the ANU Centre for European Studies (ANUCES) together with the Konrad–Adenauer–Stiftung (KAS) launched the first Konrad Adenauer Lecture. It was delivered by Professor Dr Norbert Lammert, immediate Former President of the German Federal Parliament and newly elected Chairman of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

Professor Dr Lammert's lecture, entitled 'Germany and Europe in a New Era of Global Challenges', was the inaugural oration of the Konrad Adeneuer Lecture Series, which seeks to address the broader, most relevant themes of the German–Australian relationship and coherence of the liberal democratic order as a whole. The establishment of the series is the culmination of a collaboration between ANUCES and KAS. This paper is drawn from Professor Dr Lammert's lecture and is the first in the Konrad Adenauer Lecture Paper series.