Atlantik-Brücke (German: [atˈlantɪkˌbʁʏkə], Atlantic Bridge) is a private non-profit association to promote German-American understanding and Atlanticism. Founded in Hamburg in 1952, it was located in Bonn between 1983 and 1999 and is now located in Berlin.
The association organizes invitation-only conferences, seminars and colloquia. Through various programs for "Young Leaders", military officers, journalists, and students, Atlantik-Brücke fosters social networks among current and future leaders in business and world affairs. Atlantik-Brücke also awards prizes in honor of Vernon A. Walters and Eric M. Warburg. Atlantik-Brücke annually presents the George H.W. Bush award, an award given to those who have improved German and U.S. relations. It was first given in August 2015 to its namesake, U.S. statesman Pres. George H. W. Bush at his residence Walker's Point Estate, Maine.
In 2014, the German political cabaret show Die Anstalt named the Atlantik-Brücke as one of several "NATO-friendly elite networks" that "are little more than transatlantic swinger-clubs". After exposing that several high-ranking German journalists and media moguls are members of the Atlantik-Brücke (among other American lobbying organisations), the broadcast criticised multiple widely circulated German newspapers as "being akin to local editions of the NATO press office". Following the broadcast, several journalists whose connections to the Atlantik-Brücke were exposed attempted to sue the ZDF for broadcasting the show. The lawsuit was struck down by the Federal Court of Justice in 2017, which ruled that no personal rights were violated and that the characterisations made by Die Anstalt were "quite accurate".
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Young Leaders
The two Atlantik-Brücke Young Leaders conferences receive more than 500 applications per year, from which 120 Young Leaders are chosen with the help of a steering committee of political, business and academic leaders. Sixty young leaders are chosen for the German-American Conference (30 Americans and 30 Germans) and sixty are chosen for the European Conference. As of 2011, the German-American Young Leaders Conference has been running for 33 years.
The Young Leaders Program initiated by Atlantik-Brücke represents the oldest and largest program dedicated to identifying and nurturing relationships among the future custodians of the transatlantic partnership. Since the first Young Leaders Conference was held in 1973, over 1,500 Europeans and Americans have attended one of thirty-two German-American Young Leaders Conferences or ten European Young Leaders Conferences. Alumni of these prestigious gatherings remain in contact with each other both informally and through regional discussion groups and biennial alumni conferences that had been held under the auspices of Atlantik-Brücke. On January 1, 2011 Atlantik-Brücke established the independent organization "Atlantik Forum e.V. – the Young Leaders Alumni of Atlantik-Brücke" to more effectively facilitate and manage all these activities.
Extract of member list
Below you can find an extract of the member list of the Atlantik Brücke e.V.
Philip D. Murphy, Governor of New Jersey, former United States Ambassador to Germany
Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State of the United States of America
Josef Ackermann, former CEO of Deutsche Bank, Germany
Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, former Minister of Defense of Germany
Helmut Kohl, former Chancellor of Germany
Helmut Schmidt, former Chancellor of Germany
Rupert Stadler, former chairman of Audi AG
Torsten Oltmanns, Global Marketing Director at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Joachim Gauck, former President of Germany
Angela Merkel, former Chancellor of Germany