Inspired by the 50th anniversary of Willy Brandt’s historical gesture in Warsaw, the so-called “Warsaw genuflection”, we reflect upon the principles of his original strategy towards the Eastern Bloc. Which of these principles could guide us today in search of a new progressive Ostpolitik?

This Discussion Paper takes a closer look at the current challenges of the European foreign policy vis-à-vis Russia and sketches a vision for a new generation of Ostpolitik, aiming at organizing European unity as well as strengthening the EU’s strategic alliances in Eastern Europe and across the Atlantic.

In 2020, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Willy Brandt’s historical gesture in Warsaw. The so-called “Warsaw genuflection” was a symbol of reconciliation and dialogue between the East and the West. Today, we should see it as an inspiration for a new generation of Ostpolitik, especially taking a note on what is happening inside of the EU and just at its borders as well as the brand new reality in transatlantic relations.

Over 100 participants discussed and debated future visions for Europe during the Daring New Spaces Summit on the European public sphere on 10 December. In keynotes and debates, and listening to pitches and poetry, the participants envisioned what Europe and its public sphere could and should look like in 2025. The event culminated with two project fellows interviewing Minister of State for Europe, Michael Roth (DE) and Tiago Antunes (PT), Secretary of State Assistant to the Prime-Minister.

Individual countries will not be able to successfully address society’s current challenges. Only a solidarity-based and networked Europe can rise to the occasion. For this, we need new spaces and methods of collaboration to strengthen the European public sphere. Join us on 10 December, 2:00 – 5:00 pm CET as participants from around Europe come together to debate and discuss the Europe of tomorrow.

In today’s turbulent world, do we need a new progressive Ostpolitik? Join our distinguished guests from Warsaw, Berlin, Brussels and Washington DC to lay the foundation for new approaches to a future-oriented foreign policy.

On November 3, both presidential as well as General Election took place in the United States. How can their outcomes affect the global role of cities? Join us for a conversation about a new era of multilateralism from the bottom-up with Almut Möller, State Secretary of Hamburg and Stephen K. Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, SC.

One of the main challenges in strengthening the European public sphere is the creation of a genuine European discourse community. National discourses have been following a slow trend of Europeanisation, but platforms, media, and spaces for genuine European discourse remain limited.

The fundamental values of the EU are defined in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union. However, recent years have shown an unsettling global trend of democratic backsliding and authoritarian tendencies. Shared values like the rule of law and respect for freedom, democracy, and equality have to be at the foundation of a strong European public sphere.

The focus of this working group will be the role of civil society, more specifically European civic cooperation in the European public sphere. Civil society actors can take the role of watchdog of European politics and push for the emergence of a European demos. By introducing a greater variety of actors, issues, and perspectives to the public discourse, civil society can make the European public sphere more diverse and lively. A strong European civil society facilitates communication between European politics and citizens.

The last five years have seen many political systems succumb to far-right parties and tendencies. Aggravating this threat are the current public health and climate crises. Progressive majorities are needed now, to remove the current authoritarians from power and to critically address systemic shortcomings. Join us to discuss how to win electoral majorities!

Starting on 1 October, twenty bright minds from Germany and the United States will begin a transatlantic dialogue on how cities can address global challenges, while also democratizing urban spaces.

The new project from Das Progressive Zentrum wants to develop future visions for a European public sphere and weave them into the goals for the European Council Trio-Presidency.

Revisit the highlights of the Progressive Governance Digital Summit 2020, including remarks by Madeleine Albright, Lodewijk Asscher, Annalena Baerbock, Nadia Calviño, Anneliese Dodds, Anke Hassel, Matthew Goodwin, Joschka Fischer, Heiko Maas, Mariana Mazzucato, Dani Rodrik, Olaf Scholz, Matthew Taylor, Adam Tooze, Catherine E. de Vries.

The online summit will host more than 30 sessions and focus on transformation, democracy, progressive leadership and Europe’s role in a multilateral world. Olaf Scholz, Neera Tanden, Maja Göpel, Hubertus Heil, Dani Rodrik and up to 100 other speakers from Europe and North America will participate in the event. It will take place from 15 to 19 June 2020.

New Urban Progress is revitalizing transatlantic relations by cultivating dialogue with community organizers, researchers, politicians, journalists, and start-up founders on how urban areas can be innovative, networked, and fair.

Presidential elections were planned for May 10th in Poland. The ruling PiS-party was determined to hold the election despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, but was forced to cancel it last minute as political pressure became too high. The current state of democracy and rule of law in the country has already been criticised for some time. In this interview, Maria Skóra, Head of the Programme International Dialogue at Das Progressive Zentrum, explains how the government is using the current health crisis to its advantage – and how this undermines democracy.

Over the course of three years, the project New Urban Progress is set to promote an exchange of ideas on how to deal with local challenges in Germany and the USA. It focuses on the role of cities in inclusive growth and sustainable innovation.

 
Maria Skóra, Head of Programme “International Dialogue” at Das Progressive Zentrum, has published an op-ed in the “International Politics and Society Journal” (IPS). She investigates the political impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Poland and unveils strategies of the governing PiS party in light of the upcoming presidential elections. 
 

Cities and metropolitan areas are currently protagonists in addressing climate change, energy transitions, rising xenophobia and increases in populism. However, how well they can lead these social transformations will depend on if their own communities are inclusive and equitable.