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.
In July, Germany assumed the six-month rotating Presidency of the European Council. Germany took on this role at a critical juncture for the European Union. The public health and economic implications of the corona crisis, Brexit, and the rising tensions between member states are just some of the issues that have been on the European agenda. On December 9, the ACG hosted a webinar with Dr. Ulrike Guérot, Head of the Department for European Policy and the Study of Democracy at the Danube University in Krems (Austria) and the founder of the European Democracy Lab in Berlin, on the achievements and shortcomings of the German European Council Presidency.
On December 9, 2020, the 9th Road to Election Night and Beyond virtual discussion focused on the future of transatlantic economic relations and featured Daniel Andrich, General Manager, American Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V.; Dr. Christina Gommlich, Deputy Head of Berlin Office, Corporate Government Relations, BASF SE; Dr. F.- Hans Grandin, CEO, HUESKER Synthetic GmbH & HUESKER Group; and Peter Riehle, President & CEO, Head of Region AMERICAS, WITTENSTEIN US. American Chamber of Commerce in Germany e.V. President Frank Sportolari delivered welcome remarks and Annett Meiritz, Handelsblatt U.S. Correspondent in Washington DC, moderated the discussion. This event is part of the virtual Road to Election Night & Beyond, which the ACG organizes in cooperation with several Berlin-based transatlantic institutions and political foundations
Berlin and Los Angeles have been sister cities since 1967. Originally launched by former Berliners who had emigrated to the U.S. to work in the film industry, culture and the arts have always been a cornerstone for the relationship. Both the Villa Aurora and the Thomas Mann House have served as institutional ties connecting the two cities. More recently, economic bonds between the two cities have been increasing including exchange in the areas of environmental and climate protection and renewable energy, as well as cooperation in the startup sector. On December 7, the ACG hosted a conversation between State Secretary Christian Gaebler, Head of the Berlin Senate Chancellery, and
Ambassador Nina Hachigian, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, Los Angeles.
This virtual event was part of the American Council on Germany’s series titled [virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German-American Mayors Forum, held under the auspices of WunderbarTogether USA 2020, a comprehensive and collaborative initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
At the end of November, the head of the Bank of England warned that the failure to secure a trade deal with the European Union would do more damage to the U.K. economy over the long run than the coronavirus pandemic. Time is running out for negotiators as they enter the final stretch to reach a deal. On December 4, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion on the implications of Brexit with Heather Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic and Director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Klaus-Dieter Frankenberger, Foreign Editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; and David Smith, Washington Bureau Chief for The Guardian.
On December 3, 2020, the 8th #R2EN virtual discussion focused on Migration, Flight, and U.S. Immigration Policy under President Biden. The event featured T. Alexander Aleinikoff, University Professor and Director of the Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility at The New School (NYC), Roberto Suro, Professor of Journalism and Public Policy at the University of Southern California, and Eric P. Schwartz, President of Refugees International and former US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (2009-2011). Berit Ebert, Vice President of Programs of the American Academy in Berlin, moderated the discussion. It is part of the virtual Road to Election Night & Beyond, which the ACG organizes in cooperation with several Berlin-based transatlantic institutions and political foundations.