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.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On June 10, the ACG held a Kaffeepause with ACG Fellow Vladimir Balzer, an award-winning journalist and moderator at Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
On June 5, the ACG and the Association of German-American Centers (Verbund Deutsch-Amerikanischer Zentren, VDAZ) hosted a virtual discussion on the importance of subnational diplomacy with Ambassador Nina Hachigian (ret), Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, and Michael Georg Link, Coordinator for Transatlantic Cooperation at the German Federal Foreign Ministry and Member of the German Bundestag (FDP).
On May 28, the ACG and the Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) held a virtual discussion with Grace-Marie Turner, President of the Galen Institute; and Dr. Kristian Niemietz, Editorial Director and Head of Political Economy at the Institute of Economic Affairs; and moderated by GCOA‘s Head of Advocacy Initiatives Michiel Peters, on what is needed to finance healthcare systems in an aging societies.
On May 23, the American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany hosted a virtual discussion with German and American state legislators, including State Senator Roger Niello (R), California State Senate; Marion Schiefer (CDU), State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein; and State Senator Cindy Winckler (D), Iowa State Senate.
The ACG regularly hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse. On May 20, the ACG held a Kaffeepause with ACG Alumna Sonja Gillert, Head of Audio and Podcaster for Die Welt.