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Europe and North America

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Our focus in Europe

The work of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s Foundation offices in Europe is of particular importance. Our central concern is to strengthen and deepen European cooperation while at the same time stabilising bilateral links between the individual member states. In the face of the major challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the current focus, alongside economic and social recovery and a lasting resolution of the crisis, is on making the European Union as a whole stronger, fairer and more sustainable. In addition to global challenges such as climate change and increasing competition between systems, the focus is on digitalisation and innovation to strengthen Europe’s ability to act both internally and externally.

Party-political cooperation thereby is a particularly well-established tradition in Western Europe and an important instrument for KAS to promote the bilateral dialogue between the member states. However, changes to the party-political landscape across Europe is also putting established partnerships under increasing strain. In Southern Europe - among others due to the coronavirus pandemic - the image of Europe has recently become tarnished to some extent. Southern Europe has at times felt inadequately supported by its European partners in the three major crises - the coronavirus pandemic, the financial and the migration crises. In the coronavirus crisis, criticism of and dissatisfaction with the EU have now reached a new peak and are unfortunately beginning to manifest in fundamentally pro-European circles. It is this trend that the Foundation offices are seeking to counteract with their measures.

In view of the generally worrying increase in populist and nationalist stances in many countries of the EU, particularly in Southern and Eastern Central Europe, KAS’s measures continue to focus on supporting partner organisations in politics and civil society to strengthen their influence on policy-making and their role in the democratic system.

At the heart of the debate and the work of the KAS offices in Eastern Central Europe are the issues of security and defence policy alongside the current state and future of European integration. Here, it is the task and goal of KAS to restate the common European positions with greater vigour. Another focus is on cooperation with relevant state and civil society actors as they continue to come to terms with their communist past. In general, polarisation of the political landscape can also be observed in the region. For KAS, therefore, a particularly crucial task is to strengthen civil society as an important long-term stabiliser for relations.

Overall, the East-West divide between the old member states of the European Union in Western Europe and the new member states in Central and Eastern Europe has widened in recent years. These fractures are manifesting again and again in discussions about the rule of law, the independence of state institutions and the role of national identities, nations, patriotism and nationalism.

KAS also continues with high-profile events to work towards the rapprochement of the non-member states of the Western Balkans with the European Union, in South-Eastern Europe as well as in Brussels and Berlin, and to support regional cooperation within the framework of the Berlin Process initiated by Chancellor Angela Merkel. The interplay - and, in many cases, tension - between loyalty to values and interest-driven politics fundamentally shape the engagement in the Western Balkans, especially in the context of party-political cooperation.

In Eastern Europe, in view of Russia’s tense relations with the “West” and parts of its immediate neighbourhood, the focus continues to be on the geopolitical situation, as well as on the far-reaching and yet partially stalled political, economic and social transformation processes in the states involved in the EU’s Eastern Partnership. The work of KAS in Eastern Europe therefore focuses on supporting the establishment of democracy and the rule of law as well as social and economic development, while at the same time promoting rapprochement with the EU within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy and dialogue on regional security policy issues.

 

Our focus in North America

Under the US administration of former President Donald Trump, the perspective of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s transatlantic work experienced a shift. In this occasionally unorthodox US administration, the viewpoints of Germany or the EU were not always well perceived. The discourses on reinforcing a common European position and focusing on Europe’s capacity to act gained momentum as a result. With regard to the new US administration under the 46th President Joe Biden, it remains important to advocate shared positions to find stronger common ground on key issues of the transatlantic relationship. While some basic strategic directions of the Trump administration are likely to remain, the return of the US to multilateral agreements is expected. With regard to NATO, the European partners should be prepared to be called upon to make more efforts within the framework of the defence alliance. The KAS office in the US is therefore engaging in matters of shared interest with Europe, such as trade, climate and security policy.

With five offices in Europe and North America, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung is working on multilateral issues of concern to the international institutions and organisations located there. From the United Nations headquarters in New York, the Foundation’s office is working to strengthen the multilateral order and to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The office there is also concerned with the issues of peace and security, the implementation of Agenda2030 and with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital technologies in the field of digital governance. From its Geneva office, the Foundation has been involved in the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) since long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, where its contributions include reporting, background discussions, informative events and publications. Other focal points include the issues of world trade, refugee movements and migration, human rights, humanitarian aid and digitalisation. The Washington D.C. office monitors the work of the World Bank Group. From its Brussels office, the Multinational Development Policy Dialogue of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung concerns itself with the external dimension of the work of the European Union. From its base in Vienna, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung deals, among other things, with issues of arms control and peacekeeping.

 

Twitter accounts of our offices

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Topic pages of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

We are significantly involved in the following KAS-wide thematic pages. Here you will regularly find various contributions (including publications and events) from our department.

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Management

Management

Dr. Lars Hänsel

Dr

Head of the Department Europe and North America

Lars.Haensel@kas.de +49 30 26996-3526

Team

Team member

Marcel Schmidt

Marcel Schmidt

Desk Officer for European Affairs and Multilateral Dialogue

marcel.schmidt@kas.de +49 (0) 30 26 996 - 3671
Team member

Jonathan Nowak

Jonathan Nowak (2020)

Desk Officer for Northern Atlantic

jonathan.nowak@kas.de +49 30 26996-53368
Team member

Toni Michel

Toni Michel

Desk Officer for Western and Southern Europe

toni.michel@kas.de +49 30 26996-3841 +49 30 26996-5 3841
Team member

Zarife Gagica

Zarife Gagica KAS

Desk Officer for East Central Europe

zarife.gagica@kas.de +49 30 26996-3871 +49 30 26996-53871
Team member

Alexander Beribes

Alexander Beribes

Western Balkans / Southeastern Europe

alexander.beribes@kas.de
Team member

Loretta von Plettenberg

Foto_Plettenberg

Referentin für West- und Südeuropa (EU)

loretta.plettenberg@kas.de +49 30 26996-3935 +49 30 26996-5 3935
Contact

Ingrid Garwels

Ingrid Garwels

Desk Officer for Europe and North America in the Department International Dialogue Programs

Ingrid.Garwels@kas.de +49 30 26996-3520 +49 30 26996-3558
Contact

Carola Fritz

Carola Fritz

Conference Assistant for Europe and North America in the Department International Dialogue Programs

Carola.Fritz@kas.de +49 30 26996-3484 +49 30 26996-3558

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Publications to the topic

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First center-left government in Latvia
A change of government with shaky foundations
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Russia's Demographic Policy in the Context of the War
Long-term challenges for the Russian Federation
Die neue finnische Regierung, die Rechtskoalition unter dem Vorsitz des Ministerpräsidenten Petteri Orpo (2. v. r.) und der Vorsitzenden der Finnenpartei, Finanzministerin Riikka Purra (2. v. l.), die Vorsitzende der Schwedischen Volkspartei, Bildungsministerin Anna-Maja Henriksson (r.), und die Vorsitzende der Christdemokraten, Land- und Forstwirtschaftsministerin Sari Essayah (v. l.), posieren für ein Foto IMAGO / Lehtikuva
Government work involving right-wing nationalist parties
Current experiences from Sweden and Finland
Der neue Vorsitzende von Forza Italia, Außenminister Antonio Tajani IMAGO / Gruppo LiveMedia
The battle for Berlusconi's political legacy
Between tidying up and a complete overhaul: Forza Italia's survival now depends on Antonio Tajani
2023 United Nations high-level political forum (HLPF) and (ECOSOC) on sustainable development IMAGO / ZUMA Wire
High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2023 – a blueprint for the SDG Summit?
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PMC Wagner Gruppe IMAGO / ITAR-TASS
The Wagner Group in Belarus
Possible scenarios based on their previous activities worldwide
Kyriakos Mitsotakis KAS
Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the new stability in Hellas
Balance of the first legislative period and challenges of the new government
Ältere Menschen in einer Fußgängerzone in Bosnien-Herzegowina IMAGO / Hoch Zwei Stock/Angerer
Demographic Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Consequences of the Significant Decrease and Aging of the Population
Multilateraler Dialog Genf, Genfer Grosswetterlage UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
Geneva Barometer
Developments among Geneva-based international organisations from end-April to mid-July 2023
Der aserbaidschanische Präsident Ilham Alijew, der armenische Ministerpräsident Nikol Paschinjan, der weißrussische Präsident Alexander Lukaschenko, der kasachische Präsident Kassym-Jomart Tokajew, der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin, der kirgisische Präsident Sadyr Japarow, der tadschikische Präsident Emomali Rahmon, der turkmenische Präsident Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow und der usbekische Präsident Shavkat Mirziyoyev (v.l.n.r.) posieren für ein Foto IMAGO / ITAR-TASS
New friends in the "eastern vector"
Upheaval in the foreign policy of Belarus
Multilateraler Dialog Genf, Länderberichte EdvanKun
Klare Voten bei Volksabstimmungen – kleine Fortschritte im Bereich der Außenbeziehungen
Letzter Abstimmungssonntag vor den Wahlen – Eckwerte für Verhandlungen mit der EU, beginnende Debatte zur Rolle der Schweiz in der Welt
Multilateraler Dialog Genf - Genfer Depesche - UNHCR UN Photo / Elma Okic
Indictment on the state of our world – UNHCR’s new global trends report
The "Geneva Telegram" explores events in Geneva-based multilateral organizations on a current topic. This time, the focus is on the new global trends report of the UNHCR.
Marcel Ciolacu im rumänischen Parlament Guvernul României
Changing of the guard in Romania
Ciucă leaves, Ciolacu comes
Multilateraler Dialog Genf, Genfer Depesche WHA U.S. Mission / Eric Bridiers / flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
Geneva Telegram - The World Health Assembly – Pandemic accord, sustain-able finance and geopolitics
The "Geneva Telegram" explores events in Geneva-based multilateral organizations on a current topic. This time, the focus is on the 76th World Health Assembly (May 21-30, 2023).
Albanien Flagge Adobe Stock / GrebnerFotografie
Local elections in Albania
The Socialist Party wins most municipalities in Albania's local elections. The opposition accuses the party of electoral fraud.
Die Flagge von Bosnien und Herzegowina vor Wolken und blauem Himmel.
Government formations in Bosnia and Herzegovina through new coalitions
New parties taking responsibilty in the government
King Charles III IMAGO / NurPhoto
Why Charles III will not also be Charles the Last for Canada
Despite Canadians' discomfort with the monarchy and their British king: for now, the crown is not replaceable
Palais des Nations Geneva Flickr / UN Geneva / CC BY-NC-ND 2
Geneva Barometer
Developments among Geneva-based international organisations from mid-February to mid-April 2023
Die 13 Minister der Reform-Eesti 200-SDE-Koalitionsregierung in Estland. IMAGO / Scanpix
Forming a government in Estonia
Difficult start for cabinet Kallas III

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