Agenda

Brussels Forum 2017

End of Complacency — Era of Action?

March 23-25, 2017

Draft Agenda

Thursday, March 23

15:00 – 15:15            Opening Prologue 

                                    End of Complacency — Era of Action?

  • Prof. Walter Russell Mead, Editor-at-Large, American Interest                                                     

15:15 – 15:30            Welcome Remarks

  • Dr. Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

15:30 – 16:45            Plenary 1

                                    Addressing (Popular) Discontent at Home and Abroad?

  • The Hon. James Brainard, Mayor, City of Carmel, Indiana 
  • The Hon. Zsuzanna Szelenyi, Member, Parliament of Hungary
  • The Hon. Guy Verhofstadt, Member, European Parliament 
  • Ms. Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO, Wilson Center  
  • Moderator: Mr. Nik Gowing, International Broadcaster

16:45 – 17:15                Coffee Break

17:15 – 17:45              A Conversation

  • The Hon. Frans Timmermans, First Vice President, European Commission                                                          
  • Moderator: Ms. Katya Adler, Europe Editor, BBC             

17:45 – 18:45             Brexit and the Implications for Europe

  • Mr. Carl Bildt, Co-Chair, European Council on Foreign Relations                         
  • The Hon. Douglas Carswell, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom     
  • Moderator: Mr. Ryan Heath, Senior EU Correspondent, POLITICO                                                                                                                  

19:00 – 21:30             Opening Dinner

                                     Horta Hall, BOZAR

                                     Welcome: Mr. Paul Dujardin, Director General, BOZAR

                                     Toast: Mr. J. Robinson West, Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

                                     Toast: Mr. Eckart von Klaeden, Head of External Affairs, Daimler AG

22:00                           Night-Owl Sessions

1: Oxford Style Debate: The Internet is a Democratizing Force

    Introduction: Ms. Amy Studdart, Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Pro:

  • Mr. Carl Bildt, Co-Chair, European Council on Foreign Relations                        
  • Ms. Theresa Swinehart, Senior Vice President, ICANN   

Con:

  • Ms. Berit Anderson, Founder and CEO, Scout                  
  • Dr. Ivan Krastev, Chairman, Center for Liberal Strategies ​
  • Moderator: Mr. Ali Aslan, Journalist

2: A New Vision for Europe

    Introduction: Dr. Rosa Balfour, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Prof. Alberto Alemanno, Professor of Law, HEC Paris       
  • Dr. Ulrike Guerot, Director, Democracy Lab, European School of Governance                                                                
  • The Hon. Zdzislaw Krasnodebski, Member, European Parliament                                          
  • The Hon. Marietje Schaake, Member, European Parliament 
  • Moderator: Dr. Rosa Balfour, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States            

3: The Continuous Struggle: Living with Terrorism

    Introduction: Mr. Martin Quencez, Fellow and Program Officer, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Ms. Muriel Domenach, Secretary General CIPDR, Ministry of the Interior, France
  • Prof. Peter Neumann, Professor, Kings College London     
  • Mr. Nicholas Rasmussen, Director, U.S. National Counterterrorism Center                           
  • Moderator: Ms. Alison Smale, Berlin Bureau Chief, The New York Times                                                   

 

Friday, March 24                                

8:00 - 9:00                  Brussels Forum Breakfast

                                    Europe's Year of Decisions - Elections in 2017

                                    Introduction: Dr. Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, Vice President and Executive Director, Berlin Office, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Mr. David Herszenhorn, Chief Brussels Correspondent, Politico
  • Ms. Natalie Nougayrède, Editorial Board Member and Columnist, The Guardian
  • Dr. Christoph von Marschall, Der Tagesspiegel
  • Moderator: Dr. Heidi Tworek, Fellow, Transatlantic Academy

9:15 – 9:30                You Weighed In: Transatlantic Thought Leader Survey

                                    Mr. Richard Lui, Anchor, MSNBC

                                    Mr. Bruce Stokes, Director, Global Economic Attitudes, Pew Research Center 

9:30 – 10:45              Plenary 2

                                    Does the World Want to Be Connected?

                                    Part 1: The Economy

  • Mr. Iain Conn, CEO, Centrica 
  • The Hon. Marietje Schaake, Member, European Parliament   
  • Mr. Michael Stumo, CEO, Coalition for a Prosperous America  
  • Moderator: Mr. Max Hofmann, European Correspondent, Deutsche Welle                                                 

10:45 – 11:15               Part 2: Ideas, Identities, and Interconnectivity

  • Mr. Dex Torricke-Barton, Non-Resident Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States         
  • Mr. Ted Howard, President and Co-Founder, Democracy Collaborative
  • Elizabeth Collett, Director, Migration Policy Institute Europe
  • Moderator: Mr. Jonathan Capehart, Editorial Board,​ The Washington Post                                             

11:15 – 11:45              Coffee Break    

 

11:45 – 13:00           Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative Announcement (YTILI)

                                   Dr. Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

                                   The Hon. Conrad Tribble, Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of Eurasian and European Affairs, U.S. Department of State

 

                                    Plenary 3

                                    Inclusive Innovation: Can the Digital Economy Benefit Everyone? 

  • Ms. Caroline Atkinson, Head of Global Public Policy, Google            
  • Mr. Robert Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
  • Mr. Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President, European Investment Bank
  • Dr. James Manyika, Director, McKinsey Global Institute
  • Moderator: Ms. Sylke Tempel, Editor-in-Chief, Berlin Policy Journal                  

13:00 – 14:00              Networking Lunch

14:00 – 14:30            A Conversation

                                    President Trump: An Insider's View

  • Mr. Bryan Lanza, Managing Director, Mercury Public Affairs
  • Dr. Ian Lesser, Vice President, Executive Director, Brussels Office, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

14:30 – 15:45            Plenary 4

                                    The Future of Work

                                    Introduction: Ms. Geraldine Gardner, Director, Urban and Regional Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States  

  • Mr. Frank Friedman, Global COO, Deloitte
  • H.E. Kersti Kaljulaid, President, Republic of Estonia        
  • Mr. Wilfried Porth, Member of the Board of Management, Daimler
  • The Hon. Ron Johnson, Member, U.S. Senate
  • Moderator: Mr. Richard Lui, Anchor, MSNBC                  

15:45 – 16:15            Coffee Break

                                    Chocolate Show and Tasting with Laurent Gerbaud and Visit Brussels    

16:15 – 17:15            A Conversation

                                    The Future of American Power

  • The Hon. John McCain, Member, U.S. Senate                   
  • The Hon. Didier Reynders, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Belgium
  • Moderator: Mr. Steve Clemons, Washington Editor-at-Large, The Atlantic                                                                               

17:15 – 17:45            Coffee Break

 

17:45 – 19:00            Plenary 5

                                    Resources and Strategy: The Eastern Mediterranean 

 

  • Amb. Nabil Fahmy, Former Foreign Minister, Egypt
  • Adm. Michael Franken, Vice Admiral, Deputy to the Commander for Military Operations, U.S. Africa Command
  • Dr. Ivan Krastev, Chairman, Center for Liberal Strategies
  • Mr. Dev Sanyal, Chief Executive Alternative Energy and Executive Vice President, BP
  • Moderator: Mr. Alexis Papahelas, Editor in Chief, Kathimerini Newspaper

 

19:00 – 21:45            Break Out Dinners

22:00                           Night-Owl Sessions

1: Mission Impossible: Controlling the World of Information and Facts

    Introduction: Ms. Alexandra Martin, Major Conferences, The German Marshall Fund of the United States  

  • The Hon. Janis Garisons, Secretary of State, Latvia              
  • The Hon. Sir Julian King, Commissioner Security Union, European Commission
  • Mr. Soli Ozel, Lecturer of International Relations, Kadir Has University
  • Ms. Moira Whelan, Entrepreneur and Partner, BlueDot Strategies                                                              
  • Moderator: Mr. Kevin Baron, Executive Editor, Defense One                          

2: Rebooting Democracy

    Introduction: Dr. Rosa Balfour, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Ms. Joan Hoey, Regional Director, Europe, Economist Intelligence Unit           
  • Mr. Ted Howard, President and Co-Founder, Democracy Collaborative
  • Mr. Stefanos Loukopoulos, Co-Founder and Director, Vouliwatch
  • Dr. Yascha Mounk, Fellow, Transatlantic Academy                                
  • Moderator: Ms. Carolina Chimoy, Host and Broadcaster, Deutsche Welle                                                                     ​

3: End of the West? Responses from Around the Globe

  • Amb. Youssef Amrani, Head of Mission, Royal Cabinet, Kingdom of Morocco
  • Amb. Su Ge, President, China Institute of International Studies
  • The Hon. Norbert Rottgen, Head of Foreign Affairs Committee, German Bundestag
  • Prof. James Steinberg, Professor, Syracuse University        
  • Moderator: Mr. Josh Rogin, Columnist, The Washington Post                                                                            

 

Saturday, March 25

8:00 – 9:00                Brussels Forum Breakfast

                                    Understanding America

Introduction: Dr. Daniel Twining, Counselor, Director, Asia Program, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

  • Mr. Christopher Caldwell, Senior Editor, The Weekly Standard                                                   
  • Dr. James Carafano, Vice President, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, The Heritage Foundation
  • Ms. Margaret Carlson, Columnist, Bloomberg News
  • Moderator, Derek Chollet, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor for Security and Defense Policy, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

9:15 – 10:45              Introduction of the U.S. Congressional Delegation

                                    Remarks

                                The Hon. John McCain, Member, U.S. Senate

10:00 – 10:45            Press Conference with U.S. Senators Ron Johnson and John McCain (Simultaneous event)

                                    Plenary 6

9:30  – 10:00                    Part I: The Next Conflict: North Korea (Simultaneous event)

  • Amb. Masafumi Ishii, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Japan to Belgium and NATO
  • Amb. Wendy Sherman, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Moderator: Ms. Xenia Wickett, Head, U.S. and Americas Program, Chatham House

10:00 - 10:45                    Part II: Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

  • The Hon. Mikheil Janelidze, Foreign Minister, Georgia
  • H.E. Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, Vice Prime Minister, Ukraine
  • Moderator: Ms. Teri Schultz, Freelance Journalist
  •  

10:45 – 11:15            Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:30            Plenary 7 

                                    Beyond the Middle East Disorder

  • Dr. Nabil Fahmy, Former Foreign Minister, Egypt       
  • Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad, Counselor, Center for Strategic International Studies                                                                                                
  • Amb. Mohamed Loulichki, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center
  • Ms. Emma Sky, Director, World Fellows Program, Yale University                                                            
  • Moderator: Ms. Kimberly Dozier, Senior National Security Correspondent, The Daily Beast  

12:30 – 13:00           Coffee Break   

13:00 – 14:30           Introduction

                                   Dr. Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, Director, Paris Office, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

                                   Brussels Forum Talk

                                   Mr. Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft

                                   Plenary Session 8

                                   Transatlantic (In)Security

  • The Hon. Rose Gottemoeller, Deputy Secretary General, NATO
  • The Hon. Ron Johnson, Member, U.S. Senate
  • Rear Admiral Henri Schricke, Special Advisor International Relations to the Chief of Defense, Ministry of Defense, France
  • Mr. Soli Ozel, Lecturer of International Relations, Kadir Has University
  • Moderator: Ms. Asieh Namdar, Anchor, CGTN

14:30 – 14:45             Epilogue/Closing

  • Mr. Ali Aslan, Journalist
  • Dr. Karen Donfried, President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States