Citizens’ dialogue on foreign policy issues took place in the Kaiserin-Adelheid-Foyer
The city administration and the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation hosted a townhall-talk in the Old Town Hall on 3 December 2024. Townhall-talks are an opportunity for dialogue offered by the Federal Foreign Office where citizens can talk to diplomats in a relaxed atmosphere.
Following the successful launch of this series of talks in August this year, which focused on the European elections and opportunities for young people to get involved, the outcome of the US election and its possible consequences for Europe was now the starting point for the dialogue. However, the open dialogue format allowed for a wide range of questions, which the speaker Claudia Brinkmann, Head of the Domestic Protocol and Major Conferences Unit, was happy to answer. She has already worked for the Federal Foreign Office in cities such as Baghdad and Brussels and in the Federal Chancellery for EU foreign policy and provided a lively insight into her daily work routines.
One of the questions discussed during the dialogue was whether the European project is at an impasse and what the reasons for this might be. It became clear that cultural and social policy, the social relations of states, are becoming increasingly central and important for foreign policy. A positive understanding of the common European idea needs to be continuously and persistently anchored in social awareness. We need a ‘pan-European narrative’ that awakens positive identifications, very concrete examples of the success of the European Union, which places the achievements of a free and liberal society in context. The Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation is also committed to this positive pan-European identification and will continue to promote the common European idea with programmes such as the townhall-talks.
Gallery