The inaugural Frankfurt Forum, held on September 28 in cooperation with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, provided a new format for raising the awareness of and deepening the discussion on geoeconomics in a changing world. The Forum brought together stakeholders from business, politics, finance, and academia at a critical time for the transatlantic alliance.
The quick and coordinated response to Russia’s war on Ukraine showed the importance of transatlantic cooperation. The Frankfurt Forum addressed the EU-US reaction to the war, but also sought to look at the key economic issues that will shape the US-Europe partnership over the coming years. The future of payments systems, international trade, the governance of currencies, and the use of economic tools in times of crisis were the topics of the conference’s expert panels and keynote discussions.
IHK Frankfurt am Main graciously hosted the event. Handelsblatt and CNBC were the media partners of the Frankfurt Forum.
You can watch the recording of the conference here:
[toggle title=”Keynote Fireside Chat with Christine Lagarde”]
Christine Lagarde, President, European Central Bank
In conversation with Maria Demertzis, Deputy Director, Bruegel
You can read the full transcript of Christine Lagarde’s keynote remarks and her conversation with Maria Demertzis here.
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[toggle title=”Keynote Remarks by Paolo Gentiloni”]
Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for Economy, EU Commission
In conversation with Annette Weisbach, Reporter, CNBC in Germany
You can read the full transcript of Paolo Gentiloni’s keynote remarks and his conversation with Annette Weisbach here.
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[toggle title=”Rethinking transatlantic trade in a changing global economy”]
Elizabeth Baltzan, Senior Advisor, United States Trade Representative
Kenneth Kang, Deputy Director, Strategy, Policy, and Review, International Monetary Fund
Rupert Schlegelmilch, Acting Deputy Director-General, DG Trade, European Commission
Anahita Thoms, Board Member, Atlantik-Bruecke and Partner, Baker & Mckenzie International
Moderated by Clete Willems, Senior Fellow, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council; Former Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, The White House
You can read the report titled “TTC, IPEF, and the road to an Indo-Pacific trade deal: A new model” by Clete R. Willems and Niels Graham here.
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[toggle title=”The international role of the euro and the dollar – Forever in the lead?”]
Maria Demertzis, Deputy Director, Bruegel
Andreas Dombret, Board Member, Atlantik-Bruecke; Former Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Bundesbank
Geoffrey Okamoto, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs; Former First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Philippa Sigl-Glöckner, Founder, Dezernat Zukunft
Moderated by Martin Mühleisen, Senior Fellow, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council; Former Chief of Staff, International Monetary Fund
You can read the report titled “The international role of the euro and the dollar: Forever in the lead?” by Martin Mühleisen here.
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[toggle title=”Coordination and compromise: How the US and EU can set international standards on digital assets”]
Candace Kelly, Chief Legal Officer, Stellar Development Foundation
Brent Neiman, Counselor to the Secretary, US Treasury
Hyun Song Shin, Economic Adviser and Head of Research, Bank for International Settlements
Evelien Witlox, Program Director, Digital Euro Project, European Central Bank
Moderated by Annette Weisbach, Reporter, CNBC in Germany
You can read the report titled “Privacy in cross-border digital currency: A transatlantic approach” by Giulia Fanti and Nadia Pocher here.
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[toggle title=”A new era in the use of sanctions and tools of statecraft”]
Julia Friedlander, CEO, Atlantik-Bruecke
Carla Norrlöf, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto
Daleep Singh, Former Deputy National Security Advisor, National Security Council
Moderated by Frank Wiebe, Correspondent, Handelsblatt
You can read the report titled “Will economic statecraft threaten western currency dominance? Sanctions, geopolitics, and the global monetary order” by Dr. Carla Norrlöf here.
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[toggle title=”Trade, sanctions, and energy: New public opinion research from Morning Consult”]
Presentation by Sonnet Frisbie, Managing Director, Geopolitical Risk, EMEA, Morning Consult
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You can read the speech of Deutsche Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel on how to prepare for the world’s next economic shock here.
Press Coverage
You can find a selection of the press coverage of the event here:
t-online: “EZB-Präsidentin Christine Lagarde bekräftigt Entschlossenheit gegen die hohe Inflation”
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “Amerikas Inflation ist anders”
Handelsblatt: “‘Haben keine wirkliche Kapitalmarktunion’ – Lagarde erklärt Schwäche des Euros”
The Pioneer: “Investment Briefing mit Annette Weisbach”
Bloomberg: “Lagarde Says ECB Will Lift Rates at Next ‘Several’ Meetings”
Reuters: “ECB policymakers put 75 bps hike on table for October”