Now with the German election in the books, the Greens will work toward strengthening Europe and reviving the transatlantic relationship. But the Greens are more likely to take a critical approach toward Russia and China. On October 1, the ACG hosted a discussion with foreign policy expert Reinhard Bütikofer, Member of the European Parliament for the German Green party Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen, about German foreign policy after Merkel, the future of Europe, and relations with China. This event was supported by the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
On September 30, the ACG partnered with Atlantik-Brücke, the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), and the World Affairs Council of Atlanta to reflect on the race to replace Angela Merkel with ACG Young Leader alumna Dr. Constanze Stelzenmüller, Senior Fellow – Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe and Fritz Stern Chair on Germany and trans-Atlantic Relations at Brookings Institution. This event was part of WACA’s Wunderbar Together 2021 Engage America Series on “Germany’s Elections and the Future of Transatlantic Relations.”
On September 29, the ACG and the Freunde des American Council on Germany e.V. hosted an analysis of the results of the German federal election and their foreign policy implications with Dr. Stefan Fröhlich, Professor of International Politics and Political Economy at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, and ACG Board member Dr. Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University; and moderated by ACG Young Leader alumna Sonja Gillert, who serves as the Head of Audio for Welt.
With just a few days to go, the race to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany’s next chancellor has become a nail-biter. The results of Germany’s federal election will determine the coalition talks for a new German government and the ultimate course of the country’s political future. To unpack one of Germany’s most unpredictable and transformative elections in recent history, we would like to invite you to an exclusive virtual readout hosted by the American Council on Germany, Atlantik-Brücke e.V., and The German Marshall Fund of the United States. Our experts will provide timely analysis of the results and consider the multifaceted implications of the outcome, including Germany’s role on the world stage and the future of the transatlantic relationship.
On September 24, the ACG hosted a discussion with Wolfgang Schmidt, State Secretaries in the Ministry of Finance and advisor to Chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz.
Scholz has several key advisors yet few of them are as close to him as Wolfgang Schmidt, who currently serves as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance. Their political careers have been intertwined for 20 years, and since early this year Schmidt has been an outspoken advocate for his boss. He believes Olaf Scholz is the best person to succeed Angela Merkel.