While Dr.Schaeuble was planning to talk to the students about the future of Europe, they were more concerned about Europe's present and particularly the Greek problem.

The SZ describes that the students accused the German Minister of wanting to push Greece out of the Eurozone while causing pain and sorrow to the Greek citizens. The German FinMin answered that he is not responsible for the Greek problems and claimed that Greece was building its own troubles long before the crisis. He noted that the EU has rules and obligations based on attributes and values. To his defense he also reminded that in 1994 he suggested that a closed state union should be created within the EU.  He also stressed that he does not want the fragmentation of the European Union.

Suddeutsche Zeitung makes the point that the EU is at a crossroads between a path of more pragmatism and one guided by ideology. To prove that, it presents as the antipode of Schaeuble's views,  the opinion of the French FinMin, Emmanuel Macron; that the EU must re-invent itself and its structure so that it becomes more democratic.