Reflection Group Europe

Looking ahead: The High-level Reflection Group “A Strong and Independent Europe”

The Bertelsmann Stiftung High-Level Reflection Group “A Strong and Independent Europe” seeks to develop convincing answers to the internal and external challenges facing the European Union today. To this end, an international group of politicians, representatives of key European institutions and independent experts meet several times a year to discuss and develop proposals for renewed European policy from the perspective of European public goods. read more...

Conference on Europe

2020: Shaping the Future of Europe Together

On 2 March our Conference on Europe will take place in the Weltsaal of the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin under the title ”2020: Shaping Europe's Future Together”.

How can Europe be strengthened and become more capable of taking action both internally and externally? What impact can the German Council Presidency have?

We will start the Conference with a contribution by citizens from Poland, France and Germany. They will discuss their ideas from a two‑day European workshop with Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Ekaterina Zaharieva.

Their contributions and proposals will be taken up in two panel discussions. Margaritis Schinas, Sophie in’t Veld, Dr Katja Leikert and Professor Henrik Enderlein will discuss “Europe – Equipped for the Future?”, while Nils Schmid, David McAllister and Dr Daniela Schwarzer will address the question ”How can we increase ”European sovereignty” in a less comfortable world?”. Here you can find the programme in detail

Study

Economic Impact of Foreign-owned Firms in the EU and Germany

In times of Trump and Brexit, protectionist tendencies seem to be a global trend. The advantages that economic interconnectedness implies are increasingly receding into the background. Foreign-owned firms in the EU and Germany, however, make a considerable contribution to employment and gross domestic product (GDP). read more...

Conference

Citizens for the Conference on the Future of Europe

Citizens for the Conference on the Future of Europe: Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a two-year Conference on the Future of Europe. Even citizens ought to participate. But how? In order to make participatory democracy a reality, it is essential to avoid only paying lip-service to the idea of participation — and give citizens a real say. read more...

Social Justice Index

Social Justice in the EU and OECD – Bleak outlook for young generations

Data on employment have reached levels above those of the peak of the financial crisis in nearly all EU and OECD countries. Nevertheless, the share of people at risk of poverty has shown little decline. Stagnation is also evident with regard to intergenerational justice, a fact that could prove costly for young and coming generations. The Social Justice Index investigates opportunities for social participation in the 41 EU and OECD countries on the basis of 46 quantitative and qualitative criteria. The index examines six dimensions of social justice: poverty, education, the labor market, intergenerational justice, health, and social inclusion and nondiscrimination. read more...

Citizens' Dialogues

New ways to increase citizens’ participation in Europe

New ways to increase citizens’ participation in Europe. Together with the EU Commission we have conducted three innovative Citizens’ Dialogues. In our publication we present the experiences and outcomes of three cross-border EU citizens’ dialogues in Frankfurt/Oder, Passau and The Hague and explain how random selection of participants, interactive methods, and multilingual discussions took place. read more...

Birthday

WTO celebrates 25th birthday

On January 1^st, the WTO will celebrate its 25th birthday. Whether it is looking forward to a rosy future is however uncertain. Their largest members, the US and China escalate their tariff disputes outside the organization. At the same time, the US’s blocking of the Appellate Body risks damaging the whole institution. The US and China should think twice though: together with Germany, they are among the largest beneficiaries of the rules-based trading system. read more...