On February 14, the American Council on Germany hosted a discussion with three Bundestag members about how the government and the parliament work together and set their priorities for the coming years. Speakers included Dorothee Martin (SPD), Frank Müller-Rosentritt (FDP), and Dr. Konstantin von Notz (Greens).
In February of 1992, 12 European countries signed the Maastricht Treaty, paving the way to the creation of the European Union. On February 11, the ACG hosted a discussion on the relevance of the EU with Dr. Ulrike Guérot, Faculty Chair of European Politics at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität in Bonn and founder of the European Democracy Lab in Berlin.
Concerns continue to mount regarding the build-up of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine. After Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to Washington and before the Munich Security Conference, on February 10, the ACG and the New York Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung hosted a discussion with Bundestag Member Nils Schmid (SPD) about German and European leadership in the face of the unfolding crisis.
On February 7, Olaf Scholz made his transatlantic flight trip as Chancellor to meet with President Joe Biden. Scholz’s trip comes as tensions are flaring between Russia and the West over Ukraine and the Olympics in China get underway. To reflect on this meeting and more, on February 9, the ACG hosted a discussion with Ines Pohl, the Washington Bureau Chief for Deutsche Welle.
Each week, the ACG hosts a discussion with a journalist based in Germany on the topics making the headlines and shaping political discourse in Berlin. On February 7, the ACG hosted a Kaffeepause with opinion writer for Der Tagesspiegel Malte Lehming, who discussed what to expect from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s trip to Washington and other breaking news from Berlin.