Homepage Politics International politics Globalization IBF 2006

In Focus

Angela Merkel and Werner Weidenfeld at the International Bertelsmann Forum in Berlin.

At IBF, Merkel affirms: Only Balkan states are assured of accession to EU

Launching the 10th International Bertelsmann Forum, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and EU Commission President José Manuel Durão Barroso discussed Europe's current and future challenges.

Topic Info

The strategy paper prepared for the 10th International Bertelsmann Forum explains from the perspective of the EU Council Presidency how Europe can position itself in a global world order.

Strategy Paper IBF 2006 (777 KB)

Topics of the International Bertelsmann Forum 2006

Searching for the lost world order -- Europe is running out of time -- Helplessness in the face of growing threats

There can be little doubt about what currently threatens the world. The dangers are too present and wide-ranging, emanating from a host of sources: international terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, multiple regional conflicts, failing states and organized crime. In addition, much of the world is dependent on energy sources that are mostly located in undemocratic or instable nations.

Saturday at the IBF: Jung, Sikorski, Ciampi and Kissinger

The second day of the forum is dedicated to security policy challenges around the world. German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung and his Polish counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, will be discussing current developments, with Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and Henry Kissinger providing concluding remarks analyzing the world's new major players and alternative scenarios for achieving a global balance of power.

EU and Migration: Acting based on common values

In the course of the discussions, moderated by Klaus-Peter Siegloch of the ZDF broadcasting company, it became clear that the topic of migration is multilayered, containing an entire roster of problems and challenges for the nation-states that make up Europe. The exchange became culturally and emotionally charged numerous times, leading the panel participants -- former President of the German Bundestag Rita Süssmuth, member of the European Parliament Cem Özdemir and Peterle -- to agree to keep their remarks objective, saying that all problems had to be approached clearly and openly.

Prince Dr. Mohammed Bin Faisal bin Turki and Werner Weidenfeld

EU and Middle East: "Clash of Ignorance"

The European Union is undertaking missions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In Afghanistan, NATO is confronting the greatest challenge in its history. The IBF forum "From the Middle East to the Hindu Kush -- Collapse of Western Strategies?" examined which weaknesses are currently undermining Western policies and how the West can improve its strategies and abilities for stabilizing regions beset by conflict. Participants included Gernot Erler, minister of state in the German Foreign Ministry, Carl Bildt, former primer minister of Sweden, Dr. Mohammed Bin Faisal bin Turki (at right in photo), director of the European Union Department in the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry, Anna Palaccio Vallelersundi, vice-president of the World Bank, Grigory Javlinsky, director of the Centers for Economic and Political Research in Moscow.

EU and Globalization: Not a problem of recognition, but implementation

In her remarks on the current state of European affairs, which opened the 2006 International Bertelsmann Forum, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke of the need for a new economic dynamism in order to strengthen acceptance of the European Union among the public. The forum on "European Innovation Culture and Global Competition" focused on the question of how this dynamic can be created given all the economic pressures resulting from globalization.

EU and Expansion: The majority of the public has to support the road to Europe

How should the European Union shape its relations to Russia and its other eastern neighbors in the future? What are the limits to EU expansion? These were the questions addressed by Paavo Lipponen, parliamentary president and former prime minister of Finland, Gediminas Kirkilas, prime minister of Lithuania, Nino Burdschanadse, parliamentary president of Georgia, Aigars Kalvitis, prime minister of Latvia, and Gary Kasparov, well-known representative of Russia's opposition movement.

EU and Integration: Acting on common values

The heads of state and government in the Black Sea region criticized the EU's foreign policy on the Balkans and the Caucasus as insufficient. The EU's strategy for this area is both inconsistent and contradictory, they said at the 10th International Bertelsmann Forum in Berlin. Participants in the roundtable discussion included Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Romanian President Traian Basescu, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.

Interview with Prof. Werner Weidenfeld at the 2006 IBF

The International Bertelsmann Forum has brought together high-ranking policymakers 10 times in a number of countries since 1992. In this interview, Prof. Werner Weidenfeld describes his expectations for this year's gathering. Despite all the difficulties, the well-known Munich-based political scientist sees potential in the form of joint European projects.

Liz Mohn and José Manuel Barroso in conversation

Angela Merkel giving her speech on the state of European affairs

Werner Weidenfeld and Angela Merkel in discussion in the Foreign Ministry

At the 10th International Bertelsmann Forum, which took place on Sept. 22 and 23 in the German Foreign Ministry in Berlin, Chancellor Angela Merkel met with numerous European leaders to discuss the future of Europe.

to Photo Gallery

News

Study: Germans expect continuation of European Integration

Germans expect European integration to continue, in the form of a political deepening and geographical expansion of the EU. Those are the results of a survey on the future of the European Union carried out on behalf of the Bertelsmann Stiftung among 10,000 residents in 13 EU member states.

Strategies for a policy on European identity

A few months before the start of Germany's EU Council Presidency in 2007, Europe's policymakers are posing a number of critical questions: Which political order will Europe eventually implement, given that ratification of the constitution is now more uncertain than ever? To what extent will Europeans allow geographical expansion, given that they already feel constricted by the forces of globalization? How will the forces that the EU faces around the globe develop? How can the EU shape its relations with the world's major players? And how can it meet the current challenges to its security?

Prolonging the discussion of a constitution must not be permitted to cause delays in substantive issues

The European Union cannot afford to delay institutional reform. In view of the approaching accession of Bulgaria and Romania, it is crucial that the EU's institutions be restructured as quickly as possible if it is to remain capable of action. The European heads of state and government need to be quite clear on this point as they met in Brussels to discuss further developments in the constitution process.

Politics Modern GovernmentFederalismDemocracy and IntegrationEuropeInternational politicsDemographic Change	Society Demographic Change Democracy and IntegrationCommunities and RegionsIntercultural dialogueCorporate Social ResponsibilityThe future of civil societyReligion and Society
Economy Germany's economic and social situationThe future of employmentCorporate cultureCorporate Social ResponsibilityDemographic Change	Education SchoolLibrariesHigher education
Health Good healthcareHealthcare system	Culture Promoting new talent in the world of operaIntercultural dialogue