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.
With a new administration in Washington, officials from Europe and the U.S. are stepping up talks regarding a new pact for transatlantic data transfers. The European Union and the United States recognize the need to work together to develop common cybersecurity standards. They are likely to include cybersecurity in transatlantic talks about technology and data. On June 1, the ACG and the French and German Consulates General in New York hosted a discussion with Dr. Regine Maria Grienberger, Cyber Ambassador in the German Federal Foreign Office, and Henri Verdier, Ambassador for Digital Affairs in the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
On May 23rd Alexander Lukashenko, who has served as the President of Belarus since 1994, ordered the forced landing of a European civilian airliner traveling from Athens to Vilnius in the Belarussian capital, Minsk, due to an alleged security threat in his country’s airspace. The real objective, however, was to detain a Belarusian political journalist, Raman Pratasevich, and his partner, Sofia Sapega.
European leaders and U.S. President Joe Biden have condemned the forceful diversion of the plane, the threat to more than 170 passengers and crew on board, and the detention of Lukashenko’s political opponent. In response, the European Union has called for the blockade of the Belarusian airspace and a boycott of the Belarusian airlines Belavia. It is preparing a fourth round of sanctions against Belarus.
On May 27, the ACG hosted a discussion about how the West should respond to this unprecedented event and Lukashenko’s brazen disregard for the rule of law with Dr. Joerg Forbrig, Senior Fellow and Director for Central and Eastern Europe at The German Marshall Fund of the United States, and Katsiaryna Shmatsina, Fellow at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies
In early 2021, the U.S. inaugurated a new President, the United Kingdom left the European Union, and the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out has been lethargic in Europe. Looking to the months ahead, Germany will hold a historic election when Chancellor Angela Merkel will step down after nearly 16 years and a new Chancellor will be selected. On May 26, the World Affairs Council in Atlanta, in partnership with the ACG, held a discussion with German Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Emily Haber, moderated by Rickey Bevington, Senior Anchor for Georgia Public Radio. Ambassador Haber discussed the transatlantic relationship as well as Ambassador Haber’s take on issues such as the Iran nuclear deal, Russia, and China.
The American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany hosted the third event in our virtual event series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue bringing together state legislators to discuss how subnational actors have to step up to address common transatlantic challenges. On May 20, Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R), Florida House of Representatives, and Christina Kampmann (SPD), State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, discussed how states in both countries are addressing the challenges posed by long-lasting structural changes in our economies and the workplace.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every country in the world. It has disrupted the lives of billions of people. The development and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines have been positive. However, while some countries have secured billions of doses others struggle to obtain supplies. We’ve seen cases of “vaccine nationalism” as some countries hoard vaccines and make them available to their citizens and also “vaccine diplomacy” by countries using vaccine distribution to help others while advancing their standing in the international community.
On May 19, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion about taking a global approach to vaccine distribution with Thomas J. Bollyky, Director of the Global Health Program and Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter, Chair of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at the Technical University Dresden, and Head of the Governance for Global Health Research Group at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB); and Dr. Moritz Rudolf, Associate in the Asia Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).