- June 28, 2021
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- June 28, 2021
On June 28, 2021, the Aspen Institute Germany, together with the Aspen Institute Central Europe, hosted an online discussion on the topic “The EU on the Global Stage – Changing Relations with the U.S., China, and Russia?” with Dr. Caroline King, Global Head Business Development, Government Affairs, SAP SE; Dr. Sergey Lagodinsky, Member of the European Parliament, Alliance 90/The Greens; Dr. Tomáš Petříček, Senior Non-Resident Fellow, Institute of International Relations Prague and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic; and Dr. Márton Ugrósdy, Director of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Budapest. The discussion was moderated by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, Common Ground Berlin Host.
The event focused on the regional relationship between Germany and the Visegrad 4 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) and how the diverse interests and different levels of dependence on each other are impacting their foreign policy approaches and by extension the EU’s common foreign and security policy. In this context, the participants discussed the interests and relations of the different EU member states with the U.S., Russia, and China.
One key point of the discussion included the future of the transatlantic relationship and to what extent the five countries differ in their assessments of the Biden administration. Furthermore, the tense EU relations with Russia and China were discussed. The conversation focused on how Germany and the respective V4 countries differ in their stances towards these actors and how this may affect the transatlantic relationship. During the discussion, the speakers focused on international and EU-internal politics as well as the impact of economic interests on these relations.
Looking forward, the experts spoke about upcoming tasks for EU policymakers and the need for a common strategy between all EU countries in order to face geopolitical and economic competitors as well as international challenges like the mitigation of climate change effects.
A recording of the discussion with more details and insights can be viewed here:
This event was part of Aspen Germany’s event series on the Future of Europe. The series aims to publicly discuss key policy areas in which the EU does or aspires to play a leading role in the international arena, focusing on differing perspectives and stances of key EU member states regarding the EU’s strategic positioning.
