German Marshall Fund of the US Launches New Southern Europe, Mediterranean and Southern Atlantic-Focused Effort with a Presence in Madrid

WASHINGTON, DC — The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is delighted to announce the establishment of a newly formed effort, GMF South, to enhance GMF programs, leadership development and strategic dialogues on the Mediterranean, Turkey and the Wider Atlantic as a key pillar of GMF’s geostrategy work.

With this step, GMF reinforces its intellectual leadership on Southern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Southern Hemisphere as areas of growing transatlantic importance. It also increases the organization’s cooperation with Spanish institutions alongside its longstanding partnerships in Italy, Greece and Morocco, and the work of our Ankara office. GMF South will be led by Ian Lesser, GMF Vice President and Executive Director in Brussels. Kristina Kausch will serve as GMF’s representative in Madrid.

The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, welcomed this initiative at his recent visit to GMF’s Washington D.C. headquarters and expressed the Spanish government’s readiness to work with GMF to strengthen transatlantic cooperation through new initiatives, reflecting Spain’s importance as a key US security and economic ally with strong ties to Africa and Latin America. 

The establishment of GMF South deepens GMF’s commitment to bringing a wider range of issues and voices to the conversation on transatlantic policy, including NATO and EU strategy, and north-south relations in the Atlantic space. The global debate over the war in Ukraine, perspectives on China, and critical challenges from climate and migration to food security highlight the need for greater intellectual and policy engagement with the “Global South” and “swing states.” GMF will engage extensively with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation during the government’s upcoming presidency of the European Union beginning July 1st.