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.
This year, the coronavirus crisis has shown that Europe and the United States face similar challenges – and has underscored how countries must work together to meet those challenges. With a new administration entering office in the United States in January and elections in Germany in the fall, there are opportunities to reinvent the transatlantic agenda to address the common challenges facing Europe and the United States. As part of the 2020 [virtual] German-American Conference, on December 2, the ACG and Atlantik-Brücke hosted a discussion with Ambassador John B. Emerson and Sigmar Gabriel, the Chairmen of both organizations, who provided insights into what 2021 might bring for transatlantic relations.
There have always been ups and downs in the German-American relationship. With the election of Joe Biden, many Germans hope for a “Neustart” for the transatlantic alliance. The tone and tenor are likely to change – and there are common challenges facing Europe and the United States. However, the partnership is not without its controversial sticking points
On November 30, the ACG hosted a discussion with Bundestag Member Peter Beyer (CDU), who also serves as Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation in the German Federal Foreign Office, who discussed the priorities and challenges in developing a transatlantic agenda.
This discussion is part of a series of [virtual] Transatlantic Town Halls: German Bundestag Member Dialogues, which is being organized by the ACG 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.
As COVID-19 cases surge again in Europe and the United States, public health officials, healthcare workers, and hospital administrators are grappling with the challenges of providing care to patients. At the same time, the experiences battling the pandemic this year have started to shape mid- and long-term preparedness and emergency plans. On November 24, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion with Dr. David L. Reich, President and COO of The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and President of Mount Sinai Queens (both part of the Mount Sinai Heath System), and Prof. Dr. Eckhard Nagel who serves as Managing Director of the Institute for Health Care Management and Economics at the University of Bayreuth and practices medicine at the Erdhof Rehabilitation Center in Iselsberg-Stronach, Austria. Since 2018, he has been the German President of the Chinese-German Friendship Hospital of the Tongji Clinic Wuhan.
Deadlines for completing a Brexit deal have come and gone, and time is running out for negotiators to reach an agreement regarding the terms of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union. Although the U.K. formally left the EU on January 31, it has continued to follow the bloc’s rules until the end of this year.
On November 23, the ACG hosted a discussion with Dr. Peter Wittig recently retired from the German Diplomatic Service. He is now working as Senior Advisor for Global Affairs at the Schaeffler Group. He is also a Fisher Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
On November 18, 2020, the seventh #R2EN session “Safeguarding Transatlantic Security: A “New Deal” in Euro-American Relations?” featured Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic & Director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), and Thomas Silberhorn, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Defence and Member of Bundestag (CSU). Andrea Rotter, Head of Division Foreign and Security Policy at the Hanns Seidel Foundation, moderated the discussion. This event is part of the virtual Road to Election Night & Beyond, which the Aspen Institute Germany organizes in cooperation with several Berlin-based transatlantic institutions and political foundations. More information on the event series can be found here: https://landing.berlin-election-night.de.