The day after the German elections

The day after the German elections, a deep dive into the outcome of the German elections. 

In this panel:

Ryan Heath, panel speaker, POLITICO’ senior Washington political editor, author of Global Translations, POLITICO's global newsletter and podcast and providing the trans-Atlantic bridge;

Shada Islam, panel speaker, an influential Brussels-based commentator on EU affairs in relation to Asia, Africa, Geopolitics, Trade, Migration, Inclusion, Diversity and Women’s Empowerment;

Derk Oldenburg, moderator and panel speaker, former deputy Ambassador of the Netherlands in Berlin and Dutch Deputy Permanent Representative in Brussels and public policy manager and advisor.

Digital Enlightenment Forum has since its founding an interest in how democracy is impacted by pervasive digital transformation and geopolitical tensions. We have organized events with discussions on citizen participation, the impact of digital and COVID on democracy, and held a related panel after the 2020 US elections. We will continue our post-election debates. On 27 September, the day after the German elections and in 2022 after the voting in France and the USA.

Our panel on 27 September will investigate what can we expect from the outcome of this major democratic exercise, the German elections. Can  post-Merkel Germany strengthen Europe’s strategic position in the world and at the same time overcome at least some of Europe’s internal divisions?

New leadership will have a very difficult task ahead, given escalating geopolitical tensions, existential climate threats and widening sovereignty gap due to digital technologies and its masters. Can new German political leadership provide impulse and direction for Europe’s foreign policy, defense and security capabilities? Will political leaders prioritize investments in essential assets for Europe’s sovereign future such as digital infrastructures and circular economy? How can new German leadership successfully help steer a European course in the emerging bipolarity of China and the USA?

As online and active participants we welcome anyone with a professional interest in democracy, Germany’s role in Europe and the geopolitical positioning of the EU as well as concern about Europe’s future in the digital age. We also invite a group of young professionals and PhD/master level students engaged in policy discussions in fireside chats organized by Digital Enlightenment Forum over the past year.

Digital Enlightenment Forum is an informal community of people committed to the evolution of digitisation in society while respecting human values. We bring together a network of experts and professionals to create and stimulate multi-stakeholder discussions to find solution-focused strategies. Over the years we have been organising events and undertaking commissioned studies. We had celebrities in our midst such as founder of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee, former European Commissioner Viviane Reding, and Internet visionary Andrew Keen. Often our meetings are held in Brussels and we have a reputation of organising high-quality discussions with policymakers. We promote enlightened thinking, making sense of emerging issues, engaging in public debate, benefiting from each other’s experiences and networks, and respecting differences of perspective.