The spread of COVID-19 and the ensuing global lock-down as governments try to slow the spread of the corona virus has tested individuals and institutions around the world. Since March of 2020, the ACG has stepped up its digital programming by hosting webinars and video discussions which bring together policy makers and thought leaders from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss some of the key issues shaping transatlantic relations in an unprecedented time. In addition to organizing events on its own, the ACG has also partnered with other organizations such as 1014 and Atlantik-Brücke to launch new series designed to reach beyond the ACG community.
On June 7, the American Council on Germany and 1014 hosted a discussion with political scientist Dr. Benjamin Denison, on what a regime change may mean for Russia and transatlantic relations. This event is part of a series titled Democracies und Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order.
On Friday, June 3, the American Council on Germany and the German Embassy in Washington, DC hosted a virtual discussion with public health experts Dr. Nicole Lurie, U.S. Director of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and former Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS), and Prof. Dr. Veronika von Messling, Director-General for Life Sciences in the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research; and moderated by journalist Arthur Allen. They discussed global public health as a priority for the G7 Summit as we try to come to terms with the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 27, the American Council on Germany hosted a discussion with ACG Board member Michael Heinz, Chairman and CEO of the BASF Corporation and Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, about the impact of the current crisis on the Germany economy.
On May 25, the ACG hosted a conversation with Sandra Yvonne Stieger, Deputy Mayor for Economy, Tourism, and Regional Cooperation for the City of Magdeburg; and Greg Slater, Vice President and Senior Director, Global Regulatory Affairs at Intel Corporation, on transatlantic economic cooperation as an issue of strategic importance to both countries.
On May 24, the ACG, in partnership with 1014, hosted a discussion on the implications of the war in Ukraine with Dr. Liana Fix, Program Director in the International Affairs Department of the Körber Foundation in Berlin, and Dr. Michael Kimmage, Professor of History at the Catholic University of America.