Europe

On 21 June 2012, the 7th Diplomatenkolleg concluded with a closing ceremony in Berlin. During the event the participants emphasized that they had not only gained new contacts and established networks but also got to know Germany in its different political, economic and cultural facets.

Konkurrent oder Partner der EU? Das Verhältnis der neu geschaffenen Eurasischen Union zu Europa stand im Mittelpunkt der Konferenz, zu der das Berthold-Beitz-Zentrum der DGAP, der Valdai Club und das Institut Français des Relations Internationales eingeladen hatten.

“Today’s security challenges call for a new emphasis on professional capabilities,” said German Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere. The realignment of the Bundeswehr is his response to this challenge. Defense no longer means just national defense, but also the defense of alliances as well as international crisis prevention and crisis management.

Policy analysts from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia take part in the 2012 TRAIN programme, which supports regional think tanks in the development and realization of their policy research. While the participating institutes pursue research in different thematic areas, their work shares a common reference point in the EU integration of the Western Balkan countries.