36th German-American Young Leaders Conference

For this year’s German-American Young Leaders Conference, 45 young German and American professionals from politics, business, media, the military, finance as well as the arts gathered at Lake Starnberg from August 23-29. They discussed current political and economic issues, meet experienced leaders and, most importantly, got to know each other and form friendships and establish a vibrant exchange of ideas across the Atlantic.

Video of the Young Leaders Conference 2014

Conference Blog

by Elizabeth Landau and Roman Pletter

Sunday, August 24
Today the skills of the Young Leaders were put to the test in the idyllic forest near Starnberg. Split up into six groups, they were tasked with solving riddles, collecting cards and completing group challenges while working their way out of the woods. Participants got to know each other better along the way. The winners received chocolate, but everyone had a great time!

Monday, August 25
Today Friedrich Merz, chairman of Atlantik-Brücke and former leader of the CDU in the German Bundestag, discussed the State of transatlantic relations with the Young Leaders. Earlier, the group had worked on several issues from TTIP to the moral implications of the use of drones in warfare. For dinner, the Young Leaders met at the lake of Tegernsee. Entrepreneur Jürgen Großmann had asked them to a Bavarian style barbecue together with some alumni of the program. There, Young Leaders from abroad (i.e. from outside of Bavaria) learned how to eat Steckerlfisch and tried to resist Topfenstrudel with vanilla sauce. Many surrendered to the latter’s appeal. On their way home, they had no regrets.

Tuesday, August 26
Tuesday was an exciting day out in the city of Munich for the Young Leaders. They began with a tour of Airbus, learning about the company and its innovations in planes and satellites. The leaders also discussed modern digital journalism at the Huffington Post’s Munich office. After a stroll through the city, the leaders learned a lot about international issues from European Union parliamentarian Alexander Graf Lambsdorff. To end this day of knowledge, they danced the night away.

Wednesday, August 27
Today the Young Leaders discussed security policy with the former German minister of Defense Volker Rühe and with Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO. Afterwards, they learned from the manager of Germany´s national german soccer team about the long road the team has been taken since 2004 in order to finally win the World Championship in 2014. (American participants especially learned about this summer´s second most hotly debated issue in Germany besides the NSA scandal: the soccer team´s Gaucho Dance Gate. Some of their German fellow participants did not hesitate to demonstrate the issue with a passionate performance.) Before discussing financial policy and the state of transatlantic affairs over Bavarian food at Andechs Monastry together with Peer Steinbrück, who had been Germany´s Federal Finance Minister at the peak of the recent financial crisis, Stefan Kornelius, Foreign and Editorial Page Editor of Süddeutsche Zeitung, joined the group and gave some insights about his research on Angela Merkel´s foreign policy. Both of them did not dance.

Thursday, August 28
The Young Leaders finished off their week at the conference having learned a great deal about transatlantic issues and the politics of Germany and the United States. In a „fishbowl“ format they discussed the repercussions of the NSA affair and what governments should do with respect to spying and privacy. After lunch, US Consul General William E. Moeller shared his perspective on the relationship between the United States and Bavaria in particular. To conclude the extraordinary week of learning and friendship-making, the leaders watched the sun set over Lake Starnberg and saw beautiful fireworks later in the evening. They extend their deep appreciation to Atlantik Brücke for giving them many memorable experiences all week long. They will surely stay in touch and continue the conversations in their hometowns.