International Bertelsmann Forum

Logo of the International Bertelsmann Forum (1992–2001)

International Bertelsmann Forum in the Federal Guest House (1996)

The International Bertelsmann Forum (IBF for short) was a series of events led by the non-profit Bertelsmann Foundation . It was carried out at irregular intervals between 1992 and 2006 and mainly dealt with questions of European cooperation. The participants include leaders from politics, business, science, media and culture.

history

Horst Teltschik , former foreign policy advisor to Helmut Kohl , took over the management of the Bertelsmann Foundation in 1991. Under his leadership, international understanding and in particular European integration became focal points of the foundation's work. The International Bertelsmann Forum was established in 1992 as an outstanding project in this area. The event offered leaders from politics, business, science, media and culture an opportunity for informal exchanges away from day-to-day business.

In the run-up to the International Bertelsmann Forum in 1991, the Bertelsmann Foundation appointed a so-called “Steering Committee”. Members included Leszek Balcerowicz , Carl Bildt , Jacques Delors , Felipe Gonzalez Márquez , Lord Geoffrey Howe , Henry A. Kissinger , Václav Klaus , Helmut Kohl , Miklös Nemeth and Eduard Schewardnadse . The committee identified the central points of European politics in which there was an obvious need for change. Based on this, the scientific project partner, the European research group at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz under the direction of Werner Weidenfeld , developed a policy paper for further discussions among the participants.

The first International Bertelsmann Forum was held in 1992 in the guest house of the German Federal Government on Petersberg near Bonn . In 1993 the format was continued with a focus on the economic consequences of the European upheaval. Various prime ministers were among the seventy participants. Before the focus was on European security and defense policy, in 1996 European integration moved onto the agenda. At the International Bertelsmann Forum 1998 there was a debate not only about the external but also the internal structure of cooperation between European states.

In 1999 the International Bertelsmann Forum took place outside Germany for the first time. In view of the eastward expansion, the invitation of the Polish President Aleksander Kwaśniewski to the Warsaw Palace was accepted . The development of a European perspective for Russia, Ukraine and Belarus received public attention. In the years that followed, the enlargement of the European Union remained an important issue, as did the development of a common foreign policy. The deliberations on a common European constitution also played a major role.

The tenth (and last) International Bertelsmann Forum took place in 2006 in the Weltsaal of the Federal Foreign Office on Werderschen Markt in Berlin-Mitte . There, Chancellor Angela Merkel presented the key points for Germany's presidency of the Council of the European Union .

Topics and places

• 1992, Federal Guest House , Bonn: "The Future of Europe: Alternatives - Strategies - Options"
• 1993, Federal Guest House, Bonn: "The Future of Europe: The Political Agenda for the Nineties"
• 1996, Bundesgästehaus, Bonn: "The new Europe - strategies of differentiated integration"
• 1998, Bellevue Palace , Berlin: "Europe before completion - the profile of the great European Union"
• 1999, Presidential Palace , Warsaw: "Central and Eastern Europe on the way to the European Union"
• 2001, Federal Foreign Office , Berlin: "Europe without borders - strategies of political design"
• 2002, Vilnius: "Building the Wider Europe"
• 2004, Foreign Office, Berlin: "Europe's alternatives: Tasks and perspectives of the large European Union"
• 2005, Zagreb: "Southeastern Europe on the way to the European Union"
• 2006: Foreign Office, Berlin: "Europe's Strategic Answers"

Participants (selection)

• Joschka Fischer , former Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Hans-Dietrich Genscher , former Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Roman Herzog , former Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Aleksander Kwaśniewski , former President of the Polish Republic
• Václav Klaus , former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
• Klaus Kinkel , former Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Henry A. Kissinger , former United States Secretary of State
• Angela Merkel , Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany
• Jacques Santer , former President of the European Commission
• Richard von Weizsäcker , former Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany

criticism

The Bertelsmann Stiftung's critics see the International Bertelsmann Forum as an example of its political influence that is not democratically legitimized and primarily serves its own purposes.

Web links

Commons : International Bertelsmann Forum  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• X. International Bertelsmann Forum on the website of the Center for Applied Political Research (CAP) of the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich (LMU)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bertelsmann Foundation: 28 million marks for social purposes. Looking for new perspectives for the market economy. In: Handelsblatt . May 11, 1991, p. 14 .
2. ↑ Chronicle. Bertelsmann Stiftung, accessed on May 25, 2020 . 
3. ^ International Bertelsmann Forum 1992. Bertelsmann Stiftung, accessed on May 25, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Bertelsmann Foundation: Mohn announces a significant budget increase for 1993/94. Research program aims to sound out reform of the social market economy. In: Handelsblatt . May 28, 1993, p. 10 .
5. ^ Warnings against a "re-imperialization" of Russia. What are Moscow's intentions? Economic consequences of the European upheaval. A forum. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . October 25, 1993, p. 7 .
6. ↑ Ukraine seeks connection to Europe. President Kravchuk calls for full integration of his country and emphasizes the stabilizing role of Kiev. In: Der Tagesspiegel . October 24, 1993.
7. ^ Rainer Nahrendorf: Bertelsmann Forum: Much approval of the concept of differentiated integration. Europe needs strategic impetus. In: Handelsblatt . January 22, 1996, p. 7 .
8. ↑ More or less Europe? Debates about internal design and external relationships. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . July 6, 1998, p. 5 .
9. ↑ Paul Stoop: A new Ostpolitik should be here. Debates on EU enlargement at the Bertelsmann Forum. In: Der Tagesspiegel . June 28, 1999, p. 5 .
10. ↑ Wolfgang Proissl: Poland is rethinking its position on the constitution . In: Financial Times Germany . January 11, 2004.
11. ↑ Gabriele Lesser: The long way to a united Europe . In: The daily newspaper . June 29, 1999, p. 10 .
12. ↑ “Dial Prodi's number!” At the weekend, politicians from East and West discussed “Europe without borders”. In: Berliner Zeitung . January 22, 2001, p. 4 .
13. ↑ Matthias Maus: Internationales Bertelsmann Forum: Foreign policy-makers look perplexed into a bleak future . In: evening newspaper . September 25, 2006, p. 3 .
14. ↑ Wolfgang Proissl: Poland is rethinking its position on the constitution . In: Financial Times Germany . January 11, 2004.
15. ↑ Bernhard Hänel: Five principles for a strong Europe . Merkel visits the International Bertelsmann Forum. In: New Westphalian . September 23, 2006.
16. ↑ Harald Schumann: Power without a mandate . In: Der Tagesspiegel . September 24, 2006, p. 7 .
17. ↑ Rudolph Bauer: Common good and self-interest. The global commitment of the Bertelsmann Foundation . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . March 30, 2007, p. 68 .