In early 2021, the U.S. inaugurated a new President, the United Kingdom left the European Union, and the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out has been lethargic in Europe. Looking to the months ahead, Germany will hold a historic election when Chancellor Angela Merkel will step down after nearly 16 years and a new Chancellor will be selected. On May 26, the World Affairs Council in Atlanta, in partnership with the ACG, held a discussion with German Ambassador to the U.S. Dr. Emily Haber, moderated by Rickey Bevington, Senior Anchor for Georgia Public Radio. Ambassador Haber discussed the transatlantic relationship as well as Ambassador Haber’s take on issues such as the Iran nuclear deal, Russia, and China.
The American Council on Germany and the Aspen Institute Germany hosted the third event in our virtual event series State-to-State: German-American State Legislator Dialogue bringing together state legislators to discuss how subnational actors have to step up to address common transatlantic challenges. On May 20, Juan Fernandez-Barquin (R), Florida House of Representatives, and Christina Kampmann (SPD), State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, discussed how states in both countries are addressing the challenges posed by long-lasting structural changes in our economies and the workplace.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected nearly every country in the world. It has disrupted the lives of billions of people. The development and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines have been positive. However, while some countries have secured billions of doses others struggle to obtain supplies. We’ve seen cases of “vaccine nationalism” as some countries hoard vaccines and make them available to their citizens and also “vaccine diplomacy” by countries using vaccine distribution to help others while advancing their standing in the international community.
On May 19, the ACG and 1014 hosted a discussion about taking a global approach to vaccine distribution with Thomas J. Bollyky, Director of the Global Health Program and Senior Fellow for Global Health, Economics, and Development at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR); Prof. Dr. Anna Holzscheiter, Chair of Political Science at the Institute of Political Science at the Technical University Dresden, and Head of the Governance for Global Health Research Group at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB); and Dr. Moritz Rudolf, Associate in the Asia Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP).
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 Monday, May 17, the ACG hosted a discussion with Bloomberg Opinion columnist Andreas Kluth, who was previously Editor-in-Chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for The Economist.
The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a severe global economic crisis. While the current situation in Europe and the United States is different, in an effort to jump-start their economies both the EU and the U.S. are in the process of adopting ambitious stimulus packages. The NextGeneration EU recovery plan is in the process of being ratified by the national parliament of each EU member state. In the U.S., the Biden-Harris administration has proposed major spending programs in the form of the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.
On May 12, the ACG and Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung hosted a discussion with ACG Chairman Ambassador John B. Emerson and Markus Ferber, Member of the European Parliament Chairman of the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung; and moderated by economist Megan E. Greene.