Bonn Summit

I. The New World Order: The End of the Transatlantic West?

On the first day of the Bonn Summit, we will examine the current relationship and the state of the community of values between the US and Europe. The protagonists of authoritarian and autocratic movements in Washington openly and radically question the effectiveness of democratic social models with their complex participatory processes and administrative structures. The aggressive assault on a supposed ‘Deep State’ by the Department of Governance Efficiency (DOGE) at the start of Donald Trump’s second term has made this abundantly clear. Authoritarian governance by decree continues to bypass the usual legislative procedures. What is at stake here is nothing less than key historical achievements such as freedom of information, participatory decision-making, and the rule of law. Culture plays a central role in this context: after all, decisions are made on the basis of alliances and social affiliation. Thus, at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio explicitly articulated what he expects from European culture and historiography: a ‘renewal and restoration’ in the form of an intellectual and cultural shift, which aims to realign the coordinates of transatlantic relations in the long term. This demand is all too readily taken up by (far-)right political forces in Europe, which in turn is often rewarded with support from the US. So what is the state of the community of values between the United States and Europe, and what does this entail for Germany and the EU? And which paradigms can help overcome such antagonisms in the spirit of a global community based on solidarity?

Conference languages: German and English, with continuous simultaneous interpretation

from 2:00 pm
Check-in

3:00 pm
Welcome Address
Eva Kraus, Director, Bundeskunsthalle
In German with English translation
Introduction
Sven Sappelt, Curator, Bundeskunsthalle

The New World Order: The End of the Transatlantic West?

3:15 pm
Keynote
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Center for Civil Liberties, Kyiv (UA)

3:45 pm
“Europe for Culture, Culture for Europe”
Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport in the European Commission (BE)

4:00 pm
“How to learn to think on Planetary Opportunities offered by a Planetary Conservatism”
Claus Leggewie, Professor of Political Science, University of Giessen (GER)

4:30 pm
Keynote
Patricia Espinosa, Former Ambassador and Former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (MX)

4:45 pm
“Transformative Climate Justice: Co-creating Hopeful Futures for All”
Jennie C. Stephens, Professor of Climate Justice, Maynooth University (US/IE)

5:00 pm
Break

5:30 pm
“Protecting Artistic Freedom”
Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program, National Coalition Against Censorship (US)

5:45 pm
“The West Is Us Now. Germany's Relationship with the USA”
Jörg Lau, Journalist, ZEIT (GER)

6:00 pm
Panel
Patricia Espinosa, Former Ambassador and Former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (MX)
Georg Häusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport in the European Commission (BE)
Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program, National Coalition Against Censorship (US)
Jörg Lau, Journalist, ZEIT (GER)
Claus Leggewie, Professor of Political Science, University of Giessen (GER)
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Nobel Peace Prize winning Center for Civil Liberties, Kyiv (UA)
Jennie C. Stephens, Professor of Climate Justice, Maynooth University (US/IE)
Moderation: N.N.

7:00 pm
Break and Buffet at Restaurant GUSTAV

8:00 pm
Concert
Ed Neumeister (New York) & Ensemble of the Federal Jazz Orchestra (GER)

9:00 pm
Reception (on the roof terrace, weather permitting)

II. Cultural Infrastructures under Attack

How Can We Counter the Attacks on the Arts, Science, the Media and NGOs? In the wake of this forced change of course, more and more cultural institutions in the US – such as museums, universities, media organisations, and NGOs – are coming under fire. It is no coincidence that (far-)right parties in Europe use the very same script for such attacks. Numerous organisations in Germany are feeling the effects already. Those who hold different political views are being deliberately intimidated, radical ideologies are promoted, and cultural dominance pursued. Where politically feasible, key positions are replaced, funding reduced, and programmes scrapped. On the second day of the Bonn Summit, we address the current attacks on state and non-state institutions in the US and Europe (including Germany specifically). Given that the arts, academia, the media, and NGOs are prepared for such attacks to varying degrees, we wish to learn from one another across sectors. A central question here is what constitutes mere symptoms and what the root causes. Waves of moral outrage and dramatic calls for freedom are clearly failing. What is needed are nuanced debates, far-sighted strategies, and long-term alliances to effectively strengthen cultural infrastructures to help them help fulfilling their social role as places of democratic self-understanding. Not least, this involves a self-critical questioning of our cultural institutions’ integrity and a search for possible improvements.

Conference languages: German and English, with continuous simultaneous interpretation

from 9:30 am
Check-in

10:00 am
Morning Briefing
Sven Sappelt, Curator, Bundeskunsthalle

10:10 am
“Shrinking Civic Spaces”
Siri Hummel, Director, Maecenata Institute for Philanthropy and Civic Society (GER)

10:30 am
Panel
Ferenc Czinki, Author, Society of Hungarian Authors (HU)
Marita Muukkonen, Co-Founder and Co-Director, Artists at Risk (FI)
Carena Schlewitt, Artistic Director, HELLERAU, Dresden (GER)
Jens-Christian Wagner, Director, Buchenwald Memorial (GER)
Moderation: Friederike Walch, Journalist, Deutschlandradio (GER)

11:15 am
“Tech platforms as accelerants”
Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, HateAid (GER)

11:45 am
Break

12:00 pm
“In Silico – From Synthetic Data to Synthetic Worldviews?”
Dietmar Offenhuber, Chair of the Department of Art + Design, Northeastern University (US)

12:30 am
“Re:Create Europe”
Christiane Lötsch, European Alliance of Academies (GER)
“Atlas of Artistic Freedom: Strategies of Resilience and Resistance”
Jara Díaz Alberola, Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid (ES)

1:00 pm
Lunch Break at Restaurant GUSTAV

DEEP DIVES

2:00 pm
Deep Dives
Knowledge Cultures between Civic Engagement and Self-policing

Deep Dive 1 – Art and Culture
Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts & Culture Advocacy Program, National Coalition Against Censorship (US)
In Englisch | Workshop Room II

Deep Dive 2 – Science and Climate Protection
Jennie C. Stephens, Professor of Climate Justice, Maynooth University (US/IE)
Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (GER)
In Englisch | Conference Room

Deep Dive 3 – NGOs and Civic Society
Siri Hummel, Maecenata Institute for Philanthropy and Civic Society (GER)
In German | Lounge

Deep Dive 4 – A Heated Public Sphere. No Fear of Trigger Topics
Kathrin Kühn, Science Editor, Deutschlandfunk (GER)
Paulus Müller, Freelance Writer, Journalist and Presenter
In German | Salon

3:00 pm
Break

Strategies for Strengthening Cultural Infrastructure

4:00 pm
“International Cooperation in Times of Geopolitical Tensions”
Christina Beinhoff, Head of the Cultural Division, Federal Foreign Office (GER)
Gregory Houston, President and CEO, International Arts and Artists (US)
Mikaël Mohamed, Director of International Relations, MUCEM (F)
Gabriela Moulin, Director, Instituto Tomie Ohtake (BR)
Sascha Priewe, Co-founder, North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative (CA)
Moderation: Silke Krummel, CEO, Agency for International Museum Cooperation (GER)

5:00 pm
“Political Strengthening of Cultural Infrastructures”
Sven Lehmann, Chair of the Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs, German Bundestag (GER)
Markus Hilgert, President, Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and Kulturpolitische Gesellschaft (GER)
Elisabeth Mayerhofer, Culture and Science, City of Vienna (AT)
Paul Spies, President, ICOM Germany (GER)
Moderation: Sven Sappelt, Curator, Bundeskunsthalle (GER)

6:00 pm
Break

7:00 pm
Evening program with reception at the Representation of the European Commission
Barbara Gessler and Stephan Lock, Representatives of the European Commission in Germany (GER)
Basil Kerski, President of the House of the History of North Rhine-Westphalia Foundation (GER)
Katharina von Ruckteschell-Katte, Head of Culture and Education Department, Goethe-Institut (GER)
Address: Bundeskanzlerplatz 2d, 53113 Bonn

III. Public Imaginaries
European Identity between Self-Relativisation and Self-Assertion

On the third day, we will finally turn our attention to the cultural foundations of our European self-image and its future. On the one hand, there are good reasons to engage in a self-critical examination of historical transgressions such as imperialism, colonialism, fascism, communism, etc. On the other, the EU and its member states must stand their ground against hostility on the world stage and, if necessary, even defend their values militarily. But what are the collective guiding principles that, amidst these paradoxes and complex interdependencies, hold us together as Europeans and help us find our bearings? On what values are they based, and what principles do they follow? What prospects exist for ambitious models such as universal human rights, a global community based on solidarity, or ‘planetary thinking’ that aims for a healthy balance of the biosphere as well as peaceful human coexistence across the globe? How can political organisations and international institutions such as the UN effectively champion such models?

Conference languages: German and English, with continuous simultaneous interpretation

from 9:30 am
Check-in

10:00 am
Morning Briefing
Sven Sappelt, Curator, Bundeskunsthalle

Public imaginaries 1:
European Identity between Self-relativisation and Self-assertion

10:05 am
“Europe After Eurocentrism”
Albrecht Koschorke, Professor for Literary Studies, University of Konstanz (GER)

10:30 am
“European Artistic Freedom Act”
Matej Drlička, Open Culture! Bratislava (SK)

10:50 am
“Critical Infrastructure of Empathy”
Dominika Kasprowicz, Director of Villa Decius (PL)

11:30 am
Coffee break

Public imaginaries 2: The Imperative of Neutrality?
European Values ​​for Transnational Cooperation

12:00 pm
Panel
Marion Ackermannn, President, Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (GER)
Matej Drlička, Open Culture! Bratislava (SK)
Gitte Zschoch, Secretary General Goethe-Institut (GER)
Moderation: Doris Rothauer, Vienna/New York (GER)

1:00 pm
Lunch Break at Restaurant GUSTAV

Public imaginaries 3:
Cosmopolitanism and Global Community: Sustainable Concepts for Solidarity within Planetary Boundaries

2:00 pm
“Peace as the Goal of Universalist Politics'”
Omri Boehm, Associate Professor of Philosophy, The New School New York (US)

2:20 pm
Keynote
Kumi Naidoo, Human Rights Activist, President of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative and Co-Founder of Global Artivism Movement (SA)

2:40 pm
Panel
Omri Boehm, Associate Professor of Philosophy, The New School New York (US)
Marlen Meißner, Head of Heritage, Nature, and Society Department, German Commission for UNESCO (GER)
Kumi Naidoo, Human Rights Activist, President of the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative and Co-Founder of Global Artivism Movement (SA)
Silke Weinlich, Deputy Director, UN SSC (GER)
Moderation: Doris Rothauer, Vienna/New York (GER)

3:30 pm
Review and Outlook
Eva Kraus, Director, and Sven Sappelt, Curator, Bundeskunsthalle

4:00 pm
Networking and conclusion of the event

5:00 pm
Recommendation: Beethovenfest, Beethovenhalle
Panel Discussion: "At Home in a Foreign Land" (in German)
with the Thomas Mann Fellows of Villa Aurora in Los Angeles (US) Susanne Beyer, Ciani-Sophia Hoeder and Kai Hinrich Müller.
Moderation: Andreas Platthaus, FAZ (GER)
Tickets: Fr. 18.9. - Podiumsdiskussion: Zuhause in der Fremde

7:30 pm
Recommendation: Beethovenfest, Beethovenhalle
Concert Brittany J. Green & Alarm Will Sound (US)
Tickets: Fr. 18.9. - Brittany J. Green & Alarm Will Sound