In Germany we have a saying that trying new things keeps you young and full of energy. That’s certainly our feeling after we successfully hosted our first 1-5-30 TALK with David McAllister, MEP. We are very pleased we had the opportunity to ask some questions to the European Parliament’s foremost foreign policy expert. Mr. McAllister was impressively open and honest and didn’t hesitate to comment on hot-button issues brought up by our US audience

Mr McAllister took a stance on the big issues: transatlantic relations, the relations towards China, the role of digitalization and big tech, and cooperation in security policy. He told us that he is a realistic optimist regarding EU-US relations, and  he believes that the US and the EU are “natural partners on trade, technology and digital governance.” Even though the US and the EU are natural partners, McAllister also reminded us of the ongoing conflicts in digital policy, stressing that “data management issues will remain highly problematic in the coming years.” And, “to put it in a Krautshell, especially the American side needs to understand data protection is of much bigger importance in Europe than it is in the US.”

When talking transatlantic relations, China is always a bit of an elephant in the room. Still, Mr. McAllister wasn’t afraid to address the elephant directly, introducing the “three Cs” of the EU’s approach towards China: “Cooperate where possible, compete where needed, and confront where necessary.” He hopes the EU and US can act together to counterbalance Chinese influence, especially in global institutions, in which, according to the MEP, China immediately filled the gap wherever the Americans left space. McAllister hopes that President Biden will share this view and strive to find a balance between cooperation and confrontation towards China together with the EU.

We once again want to thank both our wonderful guest and great audience for helping make this event possible. Our goal to keep things simple and short (one guest, five questions, 30 minutes) didn’t prevent us and Mr. McAllister from diving deep into the important issues. Already now, we’re looking forward to hosting the next event. To ensure you won’t miss that one, better register NOW for our to-be-ignored-at-your-own-risk weekly “In A Krautshell” NOW.