Rewatch the event

Event description

The Atlantic Council and Atlantik-Brücke presented the Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics on September 22, 2023. The event follows the inaugural Forum held last year.

In the heart of Berlin, we convened economic and financial leaders from both sides of the Atlantic. At this year’s conference, we outlined a way forward on the use of tools of economic statecraft.

Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics im Axica Kongress- und Tagungszentrum. Berlin, 09/22/2023.

The G7 response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown us a new dimension of transatlantic economic coordination. The levers of sanctions, export controls, and asset freezes have been pulled to pursue foreign policy and national security objectives.

But the use of these tools has raised important questions. How can both the US and Europe avoid becoming economically dependent on adversarial powers without compromising growth or triggering more inflation? Which rules and best practices should form a new blueprint for economic statecraft? How has the West’s response to Putin’s aggression reshaped the contours of the role of the dollar and euro in the global economy?

At the Forum in Berlin, we launched new research on these challenges and brought together leaders from both the private and public sector to outline the next steps the US and Europe should take together.

Coverage

Video playlist

Opening Remarks

Building common ground

Navigating the geoeconomic era with an open approach

G20, BRICS, and the future multilateralism

Geoeconomic deepening of transatlantic cooperation

Adapting at speed

The clash of economic and national security

A conversation with US Trade Representative Ambassador Kathy Tai

Event recaps

Transcripts

Report

Image of the Oberbaum Bridge in Berlin, during a dramatic sunset. RudyBalasko via IStock

Report

Sep 20, 2023

The US, EU, and UK need a shared approach to economic statecraft. Here’s where to start.

By Kimberly Donovan, Maia Nikoladze, Nicole Goldin, Mrugank Bhusari, Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Ambuj Sahu, and Daniel McDowell

The economic statecraft landscape is becoming more complex as transatlantic partners increasingly leverage the tools to counter transnational threats. There is a growing need to understand how these tools are used, by whom, and when, as well as their intended and real impacts worldwide.

Economic Sanctions Economy & Business

Photos

Speakers

Keynote speakers

Speakers and moderators

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00 am CET

Welcoming remarks

Souâd Benkredda, Member of the Board of Managing Directors, DZ BANK

Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman, Atlantik-Brücke

Fred Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council

Session I – Building common ground: Transatlantic approaches to economic statecraft

Michael Lieberman, Assistant Director for Enforcement, Office of Foreign Asset Control, US Department of the Treasury

David Lim, Co-Director, Task Force KleptoCapture, US Department of Justice

David Reed, Director, Sanctions Directorate, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Darta TenterePolicy Advisor to the EU Sanctions Envoy David O’Sullivan, European Commission

MODERATED BY
Kim Donovan, Director, Economic Statecraft Initiative, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

10:00 – 11:00 am CET
11:00 am CET

Remarks and keynote introduction

Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow and Former US Ambassador to Poland, Atlantic Council

Keynote I – Navigating the geoeconomic era with an open approach

A Conversation with First Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of the Netherlands Sigrid Kaag

Sigrid Kaag, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Government of the Netherlands

MODERATED BY
Fred Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council

11:00 – 11:30 am CET
11:30 – 12:00 pm CET

Session II – G20, BRICS, and the future of multilateralism

Jörg Kukies, State Secretary; Economic, Financial, and Energy Policy Advisor, German Federal Chancellery 

Daleep Singh, Chief Global Economist and Head of Global Macroeconomic Research, PGIM Fixed Income

MODERATED BY
Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor for Economics | Head, Bloomberg News | Bloomberg Economics

Breakout Sessions

I. Ukraine reconstruction: The role of positive economic statecraft

Christoph Denk, Managing Director for Policy, Strategy and Delivery, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Ukraine Sustainable Investment Fund

Nico LangeSenior Fellow, Zeitenwende-Initiative, Munich Security Conference

Charles Lichfield, Deputy Director, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

MODERATED BY
Nicole Goldin, Non-Resident Senior Fellow | Global Head of Inclusive Growth, Atlantic Council | Abt Associates

II. Tip of the spear: Roles and responsibilities of financial institutions

Johannes Pockrandt, Managing Director, Citibank

Geoffrey Okamoto, Non-Resident Senior Fellow | Managing Director, Atlantic Council | Goldman Sachs

Maria Shagina, Senior Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies

Andrea Wong, Director, PGIM Fixed Income

MODERATED BY
Daniel Tannebaum, Non-Resident Senior Fellow | Partner, Atlantic Council | Oliver Wyman

III. New era of digital assets: Innovation and regulation

Maria Demertzis, Senior Fellow, Bruegel

Kenneth Kang, Deputy Director, Strategy and Policy Review Department, International Monetary Fund

Elizabeth Kelly, Special Assistant to the President, National Economic Council, The White House

Jesse McWaters, Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs Advocacy, Mastercard

MODERATED BY
Ananya Kumar, Associate Director of Digital Currencies, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

12:00 – 12:45 pm CET
2:00 – 2:45 pm CET

Keynote II – Geoeconomic deepening of transatlantic cooperation

A Conversation with Federal Minister Robert Habeck

Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action,
German Federal Government

MODERATED BY
Julia Friedlander, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantik-Brücke

Session III – Adapting at speed: The private sector and geopolitics

Nils Aldag, Chief Executive Officer, SunFire

Candace Kelly, Chief Legal Officer, Stellar Development Foundation

Christian Sewing, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Bank

Michael Schoellhorn, Chief Executive Officer, Airbus Defence and Space

MODERATED BY
Josh Lipsky, Senior Director, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

2:45 – 3:15 pm CET
3:15 – 4:00 pm CET

Session IV – The clash of economics and national security: Trade, industrial policy, and supply chains

Elizabeth Baltzan, Senior Advisor to the United States Trade Representative, Office of the United States Trade Representative

Denis Redonnet, Deputy Director-General, Chief Trade Enforcement Officer, EU Commission

Anahita ThomsBoard Member, Atlantik-Bruecke and Partner, Baker & Mckenzie International 

MODERATED BY
Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Senior Fellow | Associate Professor, Atlantic Council | Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies

Remarks and keynote introduction

Jörn Fleck, Senior Director, Europe Center, Atlantic Council

4:00 pm CET
4:00 – 4:30 pm CET

Keynote III – A Conversation with US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai (Virtual)

Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative, Office of the United States Trade Representative

MODERATED BY
Stephanie Flanders, Senior Executive Editor for Economics | Head, Bloomberg News | Bloomberg Economics

Closing remarks

Kimberly Donovan, Director, Economic Statecraft Initiative, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

Julia Friedlander, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantik-Brücke

Josh Lipsky, Senior Director, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council

4:30 – 4:45 pm CET
4:45 – 5:30 pm CET

Reception

Beverages and light refreshments provided

Transatlantic Forum 2022

In 2022, in partnership with Atlantik-Brücke, the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center hosted the inaugural Transatlantic Forum on GeoEconomics in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Forum provided an opportunity to advance the transatlantic dialogue from crisis response to addressing the key economic issues that will underpin the US-Europe partnership over the next decade.

Speakers at the four high-level sessions discussed the international roles of the dollar and the euro, the future of transatlantic trade, a roadmap for digital assets, and the new era of economic statecraft. The event launched new research in each area.

Partners

Partner

DZ BANK

DZ BANK is the second largest commercial bank in Germany and the central bank for more than 700 cooperative banks, in which it holds a majority interest.

Media partner

Bloomberg

Bloomberg is the world’s primary distributor of financial data and a top news provider, giving influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a network of information, people and ideas.

Stay connected

Atlantik-Brücke

Atlantik-Brücke

Strengthening the exchange between politics and business, Atlantik-Brücke aims to deepen cooperation between Germany, Europe and America on all levels. 

GeoEconomics Center

At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.