Whether it is addressing the challenges of pandemic control, climate change, terrorism, or an authoritarian China – citizens want the European Union (EU) to play a stronger role in the world. This is the result of a recent survey conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in eight EU countries. Top European politicians never tire of repeating that more European sovereignty is needed to survive as a global actor on the world political stage. But whether it is the "Sofagate" affair involving Erdogan, the EU chief diplomat's ill-fated inaugural visit to Moscow, or problems with vaccine procurement – the EU is not yet a world leader in international politics.
What ideas are German and European Social Democrats pursuing to make the EU fit for the 21st century? How can European notions of sovereignty be reconciled with the right of democratic self-determination by the populations of the EU member states? We would like to discuss these and other questions with you at the virtual Tiergarten Conference 2021 #TGK21.
Konstantin Bärwaldt
Konstantin.Baerwaldt
(at)fes.de
Susanne Böhme
Susanne.Boehme(at)fes.de
Results of a survey in eight European countries
To the survey
Martin Schulz, MP, Chairman of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Speech and introduction
Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister of Finance and Vice Chancellor
Speech
Interview with Olaf Scholz
Chaired by: Tanja Samrotzki
Panel discussion with
Katarina Barley, Vice President, European Parliament
Ulrike Guérot, Founder and Director, European Democracy Lab at the European School of Governance
Robert Menasse, Author
Further comments by
Delara Burkhardt, Member of the European Parliament
Hans-Jürgen Urban, Executive Board Member, IG Metall
Chaired by: Tanja Samrotzki
End of conference
The whole conference will be streamed in german and english.
With its annual Conference at the Tiergarten, the FES has since 2012 beein aiming to address and highlight new trends in international affairs. Drawing on its extensive global network of offices in around 100 countries, the FES seeks to facilitate dialogue between decision-makers, decision-shapers and decision-takers from around the world on some of the key topics of our times.
While FES’s international activities usually proceed without too much publicity, the Tiergarten conference is meant to combine an in-depth expert conference with a wider outreach to the public. To this end, a live debate between Members of Parliament, experts and civil society will bring the crucial questions of global governance and international politics to the attention of a broader German audience at the end of the conference.
The Tiergarten – A Venue for International Affairs and home of FES’s International Headquarters.