More News from Bertelsmann Foundation

  • The Lessons of Democracy Promotion in Europe

    WASHINGTON, DC (December 10, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation hosted on December 7 a briefing on democracy promotion for Congressional staffers. The event, entitled “Democracy Promotion: Applying Success Approaches from Central and Eastern Europe” and held on Capitol Hill, explored the successes and lessons learned from Central and Eastern European during their transitions to democracy, and the relevance of those experiences for post-Arab Spring emerging democracies. Panelists also discussed the future of the European Endowment for Democracy, an initiative launched during the Polish presidency of the EU Council. Bertelsmann Foundation Transatlantic Relations Director Tyson Barker moderated the discussion.

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  • Media Advisory:
    INCRA: GERMANY'S TOP SOVEREIGN-DEBT RATING SECURE ONLY WITH REFORM

    Serious risks to France's rating; Italy cited for good euro-crisis management

    WASHINGTON, DC/BERLIN (November 20, 2012) - A downgrading of Germany's top sovereign-debt credit rating can be avoided only if the country continues to implement fiscal reform at home and push for similar reform in its eurozone partners, according to the criteria set out in the Bertelsmann Foundation's proposal for the first international, non-profit credit rating agency (INCRA). This conclusion is part of a new INCRA report, presented today in Berlin, that provides test sovereign-debt ratings for five countries: Brazil, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

  • A Second Obama Administration and Europe

    WASHINGTON, DC (November 7, 2012) - How will the re-election of President Barack Obama affect trans-Atlantic ties? Bertelsmann Foundation Transatlantic Relations Director Tyson Barker has penned a comprehensive analysis of the trends likely to characterize the US-European relationship in a second Obama administration.

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  • "Megatrends in Global Interaction" Presented at Gallaudet University

    WASHINGTON, DC (October 1, 2012) – The Global Futures Project introduced its recently published Megatrends in Global Interaction at a symposium at Washington, DC's Gallaudet University, the world's only university dedicated to serving the needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The event brought the research of the Bertelsmann Foundation and the Global Futures Project to a new audience.

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  • What Should Germany Have Done?

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 20, 2012) - Chancellor Angela Merkel’s performance in the euro crisis was the focus of a debate on September 19 between Bertelsmann Foundation Executive Director Annette Heuser and economist Jacob Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Johns Hopkins University’s Michael Haltzel, formerly chief foreign-policy aide to now-Vice President Joe Biden moderated the discussion, which was held at the university’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. The debate, organized by the World Affairs Council, focused on the question: “The Euro Crisis – Should Germany Keep the Belt Tight or Loosen the Purse Strings?”

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  • 2012 CEPI Fellows Convene in Washington

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 3, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation North America and the Bertelsmann Stiftung Brussels office brought together 20 US Congress and the European Parliament staffers for the second conference of the 2012 class of the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI). The gathering took place 28 August – 1 September in Washington, DC.

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  • Berlin "Future Day": Dynamic Solutions to Global Challenges

    WASHINGTON, DC/BERLIN (July 2, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Stiftung and the Bertelsmann Foundation, with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, hosted the first in a series of “Future Days”, which serve as forums to debate and prepare for some of the biggest global challenges. This event in Berlin also marked the launch of the publication Megatrends in Global Interaction.

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  • All That Chinese Investment

    WASHINGTON, DC/BRUSSELS (June 22, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Stiftung, the Bertelsmann Stiftung Brussels office and the Bertelsmann Foundation combined forces to host in Europe’s capital the official launch of “Cash in Hand: Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S. and Germany”, a joint publication with the Beijing-based China Center for International Economic Exchange (CCIEE). The gathering also served as the inaugural event for the Stiftung’s Asia Briefing series.

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  • Still Loved, Though A Little Less

    WASHINGTON, DC/BERLIN (June 13, 2012) - European approval of US President Barack Obama is overwhelmingly high and has slipped only slightly since his election almost four years ago, according to the latest study by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project. The study was presented today at the Bertelsmann Repraesentanz in Berlin at an event organized by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

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  • INCRA Goes To Brussels

    WASHINGTON, DC/BRUSSELS (June 5, 2012) - After unveiling its proposal for an international non-profit credit rating agency (INCRA) at its annual financial conference in April, the Bertelsmann Foundation has launched an effort to get policymakers to put the proposal on their list of action items. As part of that effort, Annette Heuser, the Foundation’s executive director, held talks in early June with representatives of the European institutions based in Brussels.

  • 2012 CEPI Fellows Convene in Brussels

    WASHINGTON, DC/BRUSSELS (June 3, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung Brussels office brought together 20 staffers from the US Congress and the European Parliament (EP) for the first meeting of the 2012 class of the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI) fellows. The gathering took place May 29 – June 2 in Brussels.

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  • The Economics of European Integration

    WASHINGTON, DC/BRUSSELS (May 29, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation and the Bertelsmann Stiftung Brussels office hosted in the Belgian capital today the launch of the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey on Europe. The report, entitled “European Unity on the Rocks”, addressed Europeans’ growing weariness towards greater European integration. The polling data drew on more than 8,000 respondents in eight European countries – the UK, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Poland and Greece – and the United States in April and May.

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  • Media Advisory:
    3rd Class of CEPI Fellows Convenes

    Five-day staffer exchange between Washington and Brussels legislatures begins next week; financial services/banking regulation and agriculture policy in the spotlight

    WASHINGTON, DC (May 21, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation's Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI) is pleased to announce the third class of CEPI Fellows who will participate in this year's exchange program for staff from the two legislative bodies. The talented group of ten Congressional staffers and ten European Parliament staffers will gather May 29-June 2 in Brussels for the first of two five-day meetings.

  • A Capitol Hill Crash Course

    WASHINGTON, DC (May 3, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation’s trans-Atlantic relations team has held its annual “Brussels 101” briefing for Congressional staffers. The session brought together European Union experts to discuss the basic competencies of EU institutions, their decision-making processes, policymaking procedures, and roles in shaping economic, foreign and security policy for the 27-member body.

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  • Making a Comeback: A Return to Jobs and Growth

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    WASHINGTON, DC (April 20, 2012) - The fourth annual Bertelsmann Foundation-Financial Times financial conference was held April 18-19, 2012 in Washington, DC. The event kicked off with an evening reception for more than 400 people at the US capital’s National Portrait Gallery. IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde was the guest of honor and spoke to participants on the eve of the Fund’s spring meeting.

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  • IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Opens 4th Annual Bertelsmann Foundation – Financial Times Conference

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    WASHINGTON, DC (April 18, 2012) - International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde called for a "Washington moment", in which the global community can come together and commit to improving the world economy by sharing knowledge, understanding and best practices, in the opening speech of "Making a Comeback: A Return to Jobs & Growth", the Bertelsmann Foundation's fourth annual economic conference.

  • Media Advisory:
    A Blueprint for "INCRA" - An International Non-Profit Credit Rating Agency

    Bertelsmann Foundation releases report on creating an organization for sovereign-debt ratings with more transparent and comprehensive criteria

    WASHINGTON, DC (April 17, 2012) - In light of the intense criticism leveled against credit rating agencies for their perceived failure to analyze adequately sovereign creditworthiness, the Bertelsmann Foundation has developed a blueprint for an international non-profit credit rating agency (INCRA), whose rating criteria are designed to increase credibility and international acceptance.

  • Media Advisory:
    Making a Comeback: A Return To Jobs and Growth

    Bertelsmann Foundation - Financial Times 4th annual conference on April 19 to focus on labor-market reform and innovation, global financial governance

    Framework for an international non-profit credit rating agency to be presented

    Confirmed speakers include Jörg Asmussen, Marek Belka, Thomas Donohue, James Flaherty, Ma Weihua, Hilda Solis, Gene Sperling, Chris Van Hollen, Ursula von der Leyen

    Christine Lagarde April 18 reception guest of honor

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    WASHINGTON, DC (April 10, 2012) - The Bertelsmann Foundation, the Financial Times and media sponsor China Daily are bringing together a select group of high-ranking international government officials and business and thought leaders for:

    "Making A Comeback: A Return to Jobs & Growth"

    This day-long conference will take place Thursday, April 19, 2012 at the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC from 8:00am to 4:00pm EDT.

  • Media Advisory:
    Democracy In Retreat Worldwide

    Biannual Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index shows decline in quality of democracy, little linkage between economic stabilization and social inclusion

    WASHINGTON, DC / GUETERSLOH, GERMANY (March 22, 2012) - Many countries are increasingly curtailing political freedom, and setbacks are especially dramatic in Latin America and southeastern and eastern Europe. At the same time, socio-economic conditions in more than half of the world’s less-developed nations remain inadequate or even catastrophic despite successes in overcoming the global financial and economic crisis.

    These are among the conclusions of the 2012 Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index (BTI), which examines the progress of 128 developing and transition countries towards democracy and a market economy.

  • Too Little of a Good Thing: Social Justice in the USA

    WASHINGTON, DC (March 2, 2012) – Just a few days prior to Super Tuesday, the Bertelsmann Foundation presented for the first time to a US audience the findings of “Social Justice in the OECD – How Do the Member States Compare?” This report, released by the Germany-based Bertelsmann Stiftung in late 2011, compared 31 OECD nations on their fostering of six factors that contribute to social justice: poverty prevention, access to education, labor-market inclusion, social cohesion and non-discrimination, health, and intergenerational justice. The United States ranked poorly, coming in 27th out of 31.

  • The Credit Rating Agency of the Future - FAQs

    WASHINGTON, DC/GUETERSLOH, GERMANY (January 26, 2012) - In light of recent, wide-ranging criticism of international credit rating agencies, the Bertelsmann Foundation will lead a group of international experts to develop a model for a non-profit institution that uses transparent criteria to rate sovereign debt. Below are answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) that supplement our media advisory of December 9, 2011, which announced the Foundation study of such a model.

  • CEPI Grant Renewed

    WASHINGTON, DC (January 9, 2012) – The Bertelsmann Foundation has received another two years’ financial support from the Delegation of the European Union to the United States to continue the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI) through the end of 2013. The CEPI is dedicated to forging a common trans-Atlantic political culture by bringing together Congressional and European Parliament staffers with similar policy expertise. The semi-annual gatherings are made possible through matching funds from the Bertelsmann Foundation.

  • Media Advisory:
    The Credit Rating Agency of the Future

    Bertelsmann Foundation aims for non-profit institution that uses transparent criteria

    WASHINGTON, DC/GUETERSLOH, GERMANY (December 9, 2011) – In light of recent, wide-ranging criticism of international credit ratings agencies, the Bertelsmann Foundation will lead a group of international experts to develop a model for a non-profit institution that uses transparent criteria to rate sovereign debt.

  • What Does Europe Want?

    revised January 24, 2012 with an updated version of the document

    WASHINGTON, DC (December 7, 2011) - In conjunction with the critical December 8-9, 2011 EU summit, the Bertelsmann Foundation has published a primer on the four main European actors in the euro crisis. This paper, entitled “What Does Europe Want?”, looks at the positions of Germany, France, the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) on the crisis...

    Click here to view or download “What Does Europe Want?”

  • RT Interviews Tyson Barker on EU-US Summit; Eurozone Crisis

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    WASHINGTON, DC (November 28, 2011) – Bertelsmann Foundation Transatlantic Relations Director Tyson Barker was interviewed on RT's “The Alyona Show.” He spoke with host Alyona Minkovski about the day's EU-US summit and the ongoing eurozone crisis.

  • Israel’s Domestic Challenge

    WASHINGTON, DC (November 16, 2011) – More than sixty years after its founding, Israel remains a democracy in the making, struggling to define its own identity as tensions between the country’s Jewishness and democratic traditions persist. This was the focus of a Bertelsmann Foundation video briefing on 16 November with Dr Arik Carmon, president and founder of The Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem.

  • Washington Comes to Brussels

    BRUSSELS (November 10, 2011) - The US Congress, US foreign policy, and the US administration were front and center at the European Parliament (EP) on November 10, when the Bertelsmann Foundation hosted another of its “Washington 101” briefings. This workshop delved into the ways these American institutions function and their roles in current US debates on the economy and military intervention abroad.

  • Media Advisory:
    USA Lags in All Areas of Social Justice

    World's largest economy ranks 27th among 31 OECD nations

    WASHINGTON, DC/GUETERSLOH, GERMANY (October 27, 2011) - The United States may still lead the world in the size of its economy, but it performs poorly in a host of areas that make for a socially just country.

  • What Is Germany Thinking?

    WASHINGTON, DC (October 6, 2011) - “Germany is part of the solution, but also part of the problem.” So opened Bertelsmann Foundation Executive Director Annette Heuser in an October 6 discussion with the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Ulrike Guérot based on the recent publication that she co-edited, “What Does Germany Think About Europe?”

  • Media Advisory:
    The UNFCCC as Matchmaker

    Bertelsmann Foundation report urges secretariat to assume expanded role to combat climate change

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 27, 2011) - The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, the proposed Technology Executive Committee (TEC), and the Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) should each take on new roles matchmaking public-private partnerships to combat climate change, according to a recent report by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

  • The Turkish Weltanschauung

    WASHINGTON, DC (September 24, 2011) - Turkey has been all over the headlines recently. The country’s relations with many of its neighbors – Syria, Israel, Iran and Cyprus – have soured in recent months. But on the economic front, everything continues to bloom. Turkey recent posted a growth rate that exceeded China’s.

  • A New Role for UNFCCC

    NEW YORK (September 21, 2011) - With the UN General Assembly in session, former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and former Irish President Mary Robinson participated 21 September in a Bertelsmann Foundation roundtable discussion on the UN’s new role leading the fight against climate change. The event marked the official launch of the recent Bertelsmann Stiftung report, “A New Role for UNFCCC: The Matchmaker of Global Climate Governance”.

  • 9/11 - Ten Years Later

    BERLIN (September 7, 2011) - The Bertelsmann Foundation hosted a discussion to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC. The event, entitled "Still With Us: The Global War on Terror Ten Years After 9/11", brought former US Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert and former US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to the Bertelsmann Representation in Berlin for...

  • 2011 CEPI Fellows Hit the Ground in Brussels

    The Bertelsmann Foundation North America and the Bertelsmann Stiftung Brussels office brought together 20 US Congress and the European Parliament staffers for the first conference of the 2011 class of the Congressional European Parliament Initiative (CEPI). The gathering took place 18-22 June in Brussels.

  • Back To Work: Innovation, Investment and International Open Markets

    The state of the world economy was again the focus of the Bertelsmann Foundation's largest annual event as 200 influential government representatives, business executives and representatives of the academic, think-tank and media communities gathered at the Newseum in Washington, DC to discuss options for spurring employment in a jobless economic recovery.

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  • Annual German Conference at Harvard University

    The two-day conference, co-hosted by Bertelsmann Foundation, focused on wide-ranging topics that included the role of collective identities in the financial crisis; the effects of the economic downturn on American and European defense budgets; US and European labor-market models; and the role of innovative financing in transforming the healthcare sector.

  • Media Advisory:
    Global Futures - Megatrends Project Wins Rockefeller Foundation Grant

    WASHINGTON, DC (December 16, 2010) - The Bertelsmann Foundation has secured a two-year grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to expand the futurechallenges.org web platform, which provides high-quality dialogue about global issues facing policymakers, civic society and the media. The platform is the venue for publicizing the results of the Bertelsmann Foundation's Megatrends Meta-Analysis (MeMA) project and discussing them with a global audience.

  • Opportunities in Crisis 2: Defining new avenues of growth

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    Bertelsmann Foundation’s 2nd annual conference highlights need for global cooperation and solutions to financial crisis

    The Bertelsmann Foundation again joined forces with its media partner, the Financial Times, to host a second annual conference. “Opportunities in Crisis 2: Defining new avenues of growth” was held April 22 at the Newseum in Washington, DC.

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  • Pre-Conference Reception Yields High Hopes for Broad Dialogue

    WASHINGTON, DC (April 21, 2010) - More than 400 representatives of government, business, media and academia attended the Bertelsmann Foundation's second annual spring reception at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The event was held a day before the Foundation's annual conference, this year entitled "Opportunities in Crisis 2: Defining new avenues of growth"

  • The First 100 Days. Opportunities in Crisis: Empowering society in a time of economic turmoil

    “The First 100 Days” Conference Examines Options for New Economic Growth

    The Bertelsmann Foundation joined forces with its media partner, the Financial Times, to host “The First 100 Days. Opportunities in Crisis: Empowering society in a time of economic turmoil” on April 23 at Washington, DC’s Newseum. The conference, timed to coincide with US President Barack Obama’s 100th day in office,...

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  • Bertelsmann Foundation Opens 100 Days Conference in Washington, DC

    UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman addresses reception audience

    WASHINGTON, DC (April 23, 2009) - The Bertelsmann Foundation conference, "The First 100 Days. Opportunities in Crisis: Empowering society in times of economic turmoil," kicked off Wednesday evening, April 22, with a well-attended reception in Washington, DC's National Portrait Gallery. More than 400 guests assembled for a welcome from Gunter Thielen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bertelsmann Stiftung, who noted that all sectors of society have a role to play in overcoming the global economic crisis.