GPPi participates in Global Atlanticists meeting in Berlin and Brussels
GPPi contributed to the 12th meeting of the Global Atlanticists, a cross-partisan network of German and United States lawmakers, policy advisors and think tank representatives. The conference was organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
and took place in Berlin and Brussels 21 – 25 March 2013.
GPPi Director Thorsten Benner spoke on a panel called “The Political Scenario: ‘More Europe’ But Still a Security Policy Dwarf?” The panel, held in Brussels on March 25, was chaired by Niels Annen of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The other panelists were Olof Skoog, chair of the EU Political and Security Committee at the European External Action Service, as well as Jeffrey Lightfoot, deputy director of International Security Program at the Atlantic Council.
In his remarks, Benner called for a renewed investment in improving EU foreign and security policy. This investment, Benner argued, cannot wait until the Eurozone members have dealt with the current crisis. It is very useful for countries such as Poland and Sweden to push for improving EU foreign and security policy. Their efforts, however, will only be successful if Germany also leads on this. Germany, which enjoys an unprecedented position of power within the EU, has over the past years failed to make any major contribution to the development of European foreign and security policy. Benner called for a reversal of this passive stance.
The Global Atlanticists network is a nonpartisan transatlantic network established by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to promote US-EU strategic debate on important global issues.