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 January 26, the American Council on Germany and the French-American Foundation held a virtual discussion on the state of the Franco-German relationship with Ambassador Antje Leendertse, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations, and Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On January 23, 2023, the Council hosted a Kaffeepause with ACG Young Leader alum Sonja Gillert, Head of Audio for Welt.
On January 9, the ACG held its first weekly Kaffeepause for 2023 with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Andreas Kluth.
On December 15, the ACG held a virtual conversation with Stefan Kornelius, the Political Editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung, on his assessment of the first year of the new government.
On December 14, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Prof. Dr. Jutta Allmendinger, President of the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, and Dr. Adam Tooze, Shelby Cullom Davis Chair of History and Director of the European Institute at Columbia University; and moderated by journalist Ines Pohl, Washington bureau chief for Deutsche Welle. This discussion is part of the virtual series Democracies under Pressure: Challenges for the Global Liberal Order.