Mathieu Segers werd geboren in Maastricht op 27 januari 1976. De laatste woonplaats van Mathieu was Maastricht.

Prof Dr Mathieu Segers was Professor of Contemporary European History and European Integration at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and holder of the EuropaChair at Studio Europa Maastricht. His work focused on the history and prehistory of European integration, transatlantic relations and current European affairs.

At a young age, Mathieu came across the subjects he would later study. He grew up in Maastricht in a loving family where political and social issues were discussed at the kitchen table. At that time, a turning point in history took place when the Berlin Wall fell - an event that made a big impression on young Mathieu. The fall of the Wall heralded in a new chapter in European integration, one that would be sealed with the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. The preparatory Euro Summit in 1991 took place a stone's throw from his house; global politics landed literally on his doorstep. The schoolboy temporarily traded the football pitch for the barricades and, despite heavy security, managed to get close to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his entourage.

Mathieu studied political science at Radboud University in Nijmegen. After working as a policy advisor at the ministries of Finance and Social Affairs and Employment, he chose a career in academia. In 2006, he obtained his doctorate as a historian with a dissertation on French-German relations at the time of European integration in the 1950s. As a young scholar, he remained at his alma mater as an assistant professor. After two years, he moved to Utrecht University where, between 2008 and 2016, he worked as an associate professor in European integration and international relations. During this period, he supervised several PhD students and steadily built his academic reputation.

A gifted writer, he managed to combine his expressive style with imposing knowledge. Several of his books on the history of European integration and the position of the Netherlands were published, and in 2013, his book Reis naar het continent was awarded with the Prinsjesboekenprijs for the best political book. Mathieu became a much sought-after commentator in the media and wrote columns for Het Financieele Dagblad and De Groene Amsterdammer.

In 2016, Mathieu moved back to the city of his childhood with his great love and wife Marèl, daughters Sofia and Gloria, and son Orfeo. Mathieu took on the position of dean of the University College Maastricht. And from Maastricht, he grew into one of the most influential voices in the Dutch debate on European integration. In 2019, in addition to his professorship, he was appointed to the UM EuropaChair. This made him scientific director of the newly founded Studio Europa Maastricht, a centre of expertise for research, public debate and European heritage in the context of the Maastricht Treaty. Mathieu's responsibilities included leading the university-wide and interdisciplinary research agenda on European integration. Within Studio Europa, Mathieu was a highly valued colleague and mentor, and the centre flourished under his supervision.

Then the world stood still for a moment. In late 2020, Mathieu received a bleak diagnosis with a short life expectancy. He chose not to give up and faced his treatments with optimism. His wife and children were his great source of strength, a fact he mentioned regularly. While his sense of time and thoughts about life did not change fundamentally, his political analyses became sharper in tone, and his ability to separate main and minor issues more pronounced. Running races and hiking in the Limburg Heuvelland were a welcome distraction.

Mathieu's quest for healing was a test he endured for a long time. As colleagues, we sympathised immensely. He was a paragon of strength. Unfortunately, Mathieu lost the battle, and with his passing the Netherlands loses an important voice in the debate on Europe.

We remember Mathieu as a devoted husband and father, an inspired speaker and analyst with style. He was an erudite interpreter of complex subject matter and a master of analogies between his research and literature – a world where he felt so at home. A unique talent; he cared for those around him and was loyal and generous in sharing his success with others.

His loss leaves a big hole in our midst. Our world will now be rearranged. We will have to cope without him. Our thoughts are with Marèl, Sofia, Orfeo, Gloria, his mother and brothers and other loved ones.

Mathieu, we are going to miss you. Rest in peace.