Merkel's former advisor organizes the "Berlin Global Dialogue" / Rama the first guest, the messages for EU integration

2023-09-30 08:53:19, Kosova & Bota CNA

Merkel's former advisor organizes the "Berlin Global Dialogue" /

Former Chancellor Merkel's former economic adviser, Lars Hendrik Roeller, wanted to open a new dialogue with the global south in Berlin. One of the guests of the first edition was Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

" We don't give speeches, but we talk to each other ," Lars Hendrik Roeller, organizer of the Berlin Global Dialogue told DW at the end of his two-day event. " And this makes this forum different from many others ", he added, considering the many forums that address global issues, such as the Security Conference in Munich, or the World Economic Forum in Davos. Berlin Global Dialogue gathered for two days 500 guests from all over the world, politicians, economists and students to talk about current global topics.

Rama: Gradual steps for integration into the EU Internal Market

The Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama was one of the twenty high-level politicians of this forum. In the conversation with Lars Hendrik Roeller, Rama emphasized the strategic importance of the Western Balkan region and expressed optimism that soon, at the Berlin Process conference that will take place in Tirana, the EU will come up with a new plan for the rapprochement of further with the Western Balkans. He said that since full membership may take a long time, some perspectives should be opened for the candidate countries so that they can be gradually integrated into the Internal Market.

Merkel's former advisor organizes the "Berlin Global Dialogue" /

Lars Hendrik Röller, economics professor and former advisor to Angela Merkel

"This integration process, which in terms of the formalization of membership can take as long as necessary, with all the trauma along the way, cannot be a process that is "all or nothing" for the candidate countries. So you get it all when you're a member, or you get nothing until then. So some new spaces have to be opened for the candidate countries and we are fighting for that."

In front of Rama was Katherina Reiche, president of the National Council for Hydrogen Energy, in Germany, and CEO of the company Westenergie. Reiche proposed that the German government create a Hydrogen Alliance with the countries of the Western Balkans.

Africa in focus

Berlin Global Dialogue is a new forum for global dialogue and discussion of important global topics, especially regarding Africa and climate protection. A special moment at the conference was the conversation held on Thursday, September 28, between German Prime Minister Scholz and Delphine Traoré, an economist from Burkina Faso. Traoré emphasized the importance of equal partnership between Africa and the rest of the world and called for the word "aid" to be no longer used. She also emphasized the urgency of investing in climate protection in Africa to achieve global climate targets.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with the economist from Burkina Faso, Delphine Traore

German Chancellor Scholz agreed with this view and emphasized that Africa does not need millions, but trillions of dollars to cope with climate change and promote sustainable growth. He also noted the need to invest in environmentally friendly technologies to enable economic growth in Africa without harming the environment.

The first edition of the Berlin Global Dialogue was a no-frills round with a family atmosphere. Organizer Lars Hendrik Roeller wants to keep it going for years to come. Whether this format will succeed alongside the many formats of dialogue between industry and politics, such as the World Economic Forum in Davos or similar, is expected to be seen in the coming years./ DW