Meet a Bundestag Member: German Politics Today

Meet a Bundestag Member: German Politics Today

Background

The American Council on Germany (ACG), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the German Studies Association (GSA)  are working together to jointly promote the value of the German-American partnership and reach a wider collective audience.

On September 16, we are pleased to speak with the German Government's Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation: Metin Hakverdi.

The transatlantic partnership is a key pillar of Germany’s foreign policy. The United States and Canada are Germany’s closest allies outside Europe. Large areas of common interests, shared challenges and fundamental values form a bond between our democracies on both sides of the Atlantic. How close transatlantic relations are is clear also from the multitude of societal and cultural contacts between Germany and the United States and Germany and Canada. Promoting these ties in the long term is the task of the Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation. Metin Hakverdi assumed office as the new Coordinator on 28 May 2025.

The office of Coordinator of German-American Cooperation was created as far back as 1981; it was later renamed and expanded to comprise cooperation with Canada. Germany’s Coordinators have included former Minister of State Hildegard Hamm-Brücher; political scientist Prof. Werner Weidenfeld, currently at LMU Munich; Member of the Bundestag Peter Beyer and, most recently, Member of the Bundestag Michael Link.

Goal:

The American Council on Germany (ACG), the American Association of Teachers of German (AATG), and the German Studies Association (GSA) have collaborated sporadically over the years and are now jointly collaborating on a program to promote the value of the German-American partnership and reach a wider collective audience.

The three organizations are introducing a new virtual series entitled “German Politics Today: Meet a Bundestag Member” that would consist of three ACG-moderated discussions, in German, with members of the German Bundestag on issues ranging from the transatlantic relationship and German reunification to citizen engagement. The goal of the series is to engage younger Americans enrolled in German language programs and other German studies students, to inform them about current issues in Germany, and to give them an opportunity to utilize their German listening, writing, and speaking skills as part of their German language courses in high school and college.

Series Description

The series will begin in September with subsequent discussions taking place every 4-8 weeks until the end of the year. Each MdB Conversation will be 45 minutes in length and will take place using Zoom. The format will be a moderated conversation between ACG President Dr. Steven E. Sokol and the invited MdB (perhaps two) for approximately 25-30 minutes. Dr. Sokol will incorporate pre-submitted questions and those posted in the Q&A into the conversation, giving students and other attendees an opportunity to actively engage with the Bundestag member(s). The sessions will begin at 11 AM ET.

The ACG will invite a diverse range of MdBs representing the political parties in the Bundestag. Each session will focus on a timely and relevant topic:

· Session 1 – Transatlantic Relationship

· Session 2 – German Reunification

· Session 3 – Citizen Engagement

ACG, AATG and GSA members, and their students, will be invited to the MdB Conversations and will have the opportunity to watch live and participate in the discussion. The sessions will also be recorded and available for viewing on all organizations’ websites. Additionally, each conversation will be made into a podcast which will be available to each organization’s respective memberships and available to German teachers and professors to use as part of their lessons, such as for German listening comprehension and writing assignments.

Outcomes and Learning Objectives

· Improve students’ listening comprehension and conversational skills in German

· Deepen understanding of contemporary German political issues

· Strengthen interest in transatlantic dialogue and democratic participation

· Foster intercultural competence through direct engagement