The Aspen Institute

Under the umbrella of the Visegrád 4-Germany Forum 2019, the Aspen Institute Germany in cooperation with the Aspen Institute Central Europe hosted two workshops in 2019. The first workshop entitled “Research, Innovation and Technology” took place in Budapest on February 25, 2019. The participants from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Germany engaged in discussions on the political economy of Central Europe, focusing on common interest and key challenges of the Visegrád countries and Germany. During the workshop the drivers of economic development such as small and medium-sized enterprises and opportunities and best practices of cooperation in the field of research and development were discussed. Moreover, it sought to foster mutual understanding of diverging positions of the Visegrád countries and Germany. At the second workshop entitled “New Avenues of Cooperation and Enhanced Consultation” in Berlin on June 3-4, 2019, the key findings and recommendations that were developed during the two previous workshops were presented and discussed with German experts and decision-makers. Moreover, the meeting discussed conclusions of Visegrád 4-Germany Forum aimed at joint development of new ideas to further strengthen cooperation through unleashing innovative potential and jointly exploring new opportunities. Finally, participants had the opportunity to meet State Minister for Europe Michael Roth and to discuss with members of the Parliamentary friendship groups Germany-Poland and Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, and Hungary in the German Bundestag.