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FOCUS ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY
CAREER ADVICE FROM EMILIO GALLI ZUGARO ALLIANZ ALUMNI ACADEMY 2014 IN BUDAPEST HIGH PROFILE INTERVIEW WITH GUNTER PLEUGER UNDERSTANDING THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE JACKPOT PROJECTS – AN EASY PLACE FOR STARTUPS
ASA Alumni Magazine, April 2015 No. 7
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dear Alumni,
According to a survey from the NGO Citizens for Europe, which ranked the diver-
sity of German foundation boards, the Allianz Cultural Foundation – with its inter-
national advisory board and Alumni Council – took one of the top places. “Diversity”
is a permanent theme of our podium discussions and fish bowls, in which the situ-
ation of migrants and minorities is regularly discussed – for example, the Roma in
Europe. These ten million people – the largest minority group in Europe – urgently
need to be “integrated” into the collective consciousness of Europeans. In 2012 the
ACF drafted a passport for Roma evicted from Germany. You can order a copy from
us: www.amarodrom.eu/duldung-deluxe-passport
by Michael M. Thoss
NOTE OF THE ALLIANZ CULTURAL FOUNDATION
FOCUS ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY – Making the most of cultural diversity p. 4
The programs of the ACF – Culture needs an open space and a partner to create it! p. 5
The U.S. perspective on multiculturalism p. 6
A European view on cultural diversity p. 7
Encouraging people – Alumni on cultural diversity p. 8
---HIGH PROFILE A long hike to a high peak p. 10---INTERNAL AFFAIRS – Unity in diversity p. 12
Discussing European disintegration p. 14
Understanding the Ukraine conflict p. 15---REFLECTIONS Europe, look east – Where life is not peaceful p. 16---JACKPOT PROJECTS Let’s talk about startups! p. 18---CAREERS Emilio’s career advice p. 20---PORTRAIT OF AN ALUMNA Feeling foreign in both places p. 22
Please find the digital version
for browser, Android and iPhone at
www.kulturstiftung.allianz.de/en/alumni
To me the essence to multicultur-alism is connection. But to connect with others it takes courage and openness. We have chosen pictures of Rio de Janeiro-based photogra-pher Calé who portrays intimate moments of connection in public spaces – and captures reactions of both irritation and joy.
Another Allianz Alumni Academy took place and fulfilled us with memorable moments and inspired many to enhance their European initiatives. This time, the Academy served us with interesting fish-bowls, diverse discussions, tasty dinners but most importantly, enabled us to re-connect in person. The European motto “In Varietate Concordia” suits the Allianz Alumni Academies perfectly.
What is the link between culture and entrepreneurship? Allianz Cultural Foundation offers its alumni support through the Jackpot Projects scheme to build bridges between cultures and disciplines and to create con-nections across Europe. One of those Jackpot Projects is the European Startup Initiative. We dedicated one article in this issue to this fresh initiative. You can also read about some other outstanding cultural projects. Enjoy!
With right-wing movements on the rise in Europe, we must remember the many benefits of multiculturalism for the Euro-pean Union. Protected by the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the EU, it is our responsibility as European citizens to turn tolerance, cooperation and peace into reality to thrive in a globalized world.
The philosopher Michel de Mon-taigne is being credited for stating that the most universal quality is diversity. In Europe, the concept of cultural diversity also seems to have reached the status of a universally celebrated quality. However, the concept and the surrounding dis-cussions often remain hazy. Thus, we have chosen cultural diversity as the focus topic of this issue and hope that you’ll enjoy the different perspectives offered on the subject in this magazine.
Cultural diversity is unavoidable in modern nations, yet still impossible for nations to get quite right. This is evident in the array of national responses we’ve seen to diversity, and the particular ways each nation has at times failed to embrace it. Yet, as colleagues and friends of the ACF explain in these pag-es, there is no institution more dependent on its commitment to diversity than the Euro-pean Union.
Allianz Summer Academy 2015The Alumni Network continues to grow, and
preparations are underway for this year’s Allianz
Summer Academy (ASA) in Kempfenhausen.
We will once again be welcoming students from
Università Luigi Bocconi Milano, Central Euro-
pean University Budapest, Ludwig-Maximilians-
Universität Munich, and Princeton University;
and will for the first time welcome students from
Uppsala University to join us at the shores of
Lake Starnberg to discuss “Europe at a Turning
Point: Economic Crisis, Social Disintegration,
Political Change.”
EVENTS OF THE ALLIANZ CULTURAL FOUNDATIONEuropean Voluntary Service for All A meeting in Berlin on April 22 – 25 kicked off
the two-year pilot project European Voluntary
Service for All (EVS4ALL). Funded by the Eras-
mus plus program, the Allianz Cultural Founda-
tion and 13 partners from six countries,
EVS4ALL will give more inclusion to young
people with fewer opportunities who have so far
been underrepresented in the existing program.
With EVS4ALL we take a first step towards the
implementation of a “European Year of Volun-
teering for Everyone,” as described in the mani-
festo “We are Europe!”
www.manifest-europa.eu
The White SeaThis year’s literary event of the event series “The
White Sea” will be held by the municipality of
Salonica under the title “Reinventing Diversity.”
Different generations of Mediterranean authors
are invited to reflect connecting and separative
elements of their transnational heritage. With
its international reputation as a cosmopolitian
metropolis and a long history of multi-ethnic
coexistence, Salonica will take center stage. Au-
thors and artists from Greece and neighboring
countries will discuss the future of the multicul-
tural city and its major challenges in the 21st
century.
3EDITORIAL
Andreas Lorek
Anna Lászlo
Naďa Kovalčíková Stephanie Carstensen
Patience Haggin
Nicolas Zahn
4 Focus
MAKING THE MOST OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Europeans as well as non-Europeans are quick
to identify Europe as a continent with many
different cultures that seem to be living to-
gether just fine. Is Europe thus a beacon for
cultural diversity? What does cultural diver-
sity even mean? Why does or should it matter?
And if so, what can we do to promote it?
Cultural diversity is a concept very similar
to optical illusions. The longer you stare at
it and try to understand it, the more con-
fused you get. In this Focus we are trying to
start a discussion on our understanding of
cultural diversity and its role within Europe.
Besides asking questions, we are also giving
room to your opinions by letting you, members
of the ACF Network, share your thoughts on
the subject on the following pages.
But first: why the Focus on cultural diversity?
After all, we are still in the recovery phase of an
economic crisis and face geopolitical turmoil
abroad as well as growing social pressures at
home. Why talk about culture now? While it is
undeniable that economics and politics are vi-
tal, the role of culture should never be under-
estimated. Jean Monnet, one the Union’s
founding fathers and a chief architect of Euro-
pean unity, is even believed to have stated: “If I
had to do it again, I would begin with culture.”
Whether culture should be the starting point of
a project aimed at integration is, however, con-
tested by scholars such as Monika Mokre who
published a paper on European cultural poli-
cies and European democracy and works for
the European Institute for Progressive Cul-
tural Policies. She maintains that a focus on
culture, especially cultural differences, in the
beginning is counterproductive to a project of
integration. The EU and its predecessors were
right to focus on economics.
But she also admits that culture cannot be
fully detached from economic and political
considerations. The spill-over effect of the Eu-
ropean integration process also extends to the
realm of cultural policies which lie at the heart
of questions of identity.
So, the big question is: what stands at the end
of this process? A common European culture
and thus a common European identity? This is
exactly where cultural diversity comes into
play. Few people suggest that Europe should
have one culture. On the contrary, from man-
agement literature to high politics, it seems that
cultural diversity has become an end in itself,
and one that is worth promoting. Consequent-
ly, we need to balance between cultural diver-
sity in and among member states and a com-
mon European cultural heritage. To this end,
starting in the 1980s and institutionalized with
the Maastricht Treaty, the EU engaged in what
Mokre calls cultural diplomacy.
The tensions are evident from Article 151: the
community shall “contribute to the flowering
of the cultures of the member states, while re-
specting their national and regional diversity,
and, at the same time, bring their common
cultural heritage to the fore.” The goal is not to
come up with a unified culture but to find ways
of dealing with cultural diversity. Let us take a
critical look at a common catchphrase and let’s
discuss cultural diversity!
by Nicolas Zahn (ASA 2013)
Jean Monnet: “If I had to do it again, I would begin with culture”
5Focus
CULTURE NEEDS AN OPEN SPACE AND A PARTNER
TO CREATE IT!
Das Weiße Meer – The White Sea: Literature around the Mediterranean Since 2012 the literature festival “The White
Sea: Literature around the Mediterranean” is
on tour in the Mediterranean world. Initiated
by the Allianz Cultural Foundation in collabo-
ration with Literarisches Colloquium Berlin,
the series started in Berlin and made stop-overs
in Trieste, Tirana and Alexandria. The talks,
readings and workshops focus on the distinct
cultural environment of the Mediterranean, its
history, heritage and its present, all of which are
marked by opposites. Authors of different gen-
erations, nationalities and backgrounds from
the area are invited to engage in a dialog, reflect
about dividing and aligning lines and build a
bridge between the different cultures.
In 2014 the Allianz Cultural Foundation won
the German Cultural Support Award
(Deutscher Kulturförderpreis) of the Associa-
tion of Arts and Culture of the German Econ-
omy at the Federation of German Industries
(Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI
e.V.) for this program.
Debate on Europe 2014 in Bucharest and Belgrade Since 2006 the Allianz Cultural Foundation has
been organizing the lecture series “Debate on
Europe” together with its partners to generate
interest for current topics of European integra-
tion on a transnational level. The guest speakers
are well-known and committed European voic-
es from culture, politics, business and science.
The aim is to create a “European public sphere”
(Jürgen Habermas) and strengthen the identifi-
cation with the European project. In 2014 the
debates took place in Bucharest, Berlin, Athens
and Belgrade.
The event in Bucharest tackled the topic “1914–
2014. What if Europe Fails?” relating to the cen-
tenary of World War I. Would something simi-
lar be possible today? Writers and scholars from
ten European countries discussed this topic in
correlation with the current tension in Eastern
Europe. “What we talk about when we talk about
Europe.” In Belgrade intellectuals dealt with con-
temporary questions which affect the European
continent, starting from the discussion on the
dominant concepts of Europe to the questions of
the role of culture in today’s democratic societies.
Parallel Lives – The 20th Century through the Eyes of the Secret Police The interdisciplinary European documentary
theatre project aims to create a meeting plat-
form for artists from different, formerly com-
munist countries. It promotes the confronta-
tion of various creative methods and techniques
and working with documentary material.
The project supports the work of artists focus-
ing on themes of the recent past from former
socialist countries. The use of documentary
material raises awareness of various aspects of
the past and present and of social and political
life. The world premiere was at the Interna-
tional Theatre Festival Divadelná Nitra. The
productions were presented in their respective
countries of origin in 2014.
Texts by Anna Lászlo (ASA 2008)
Allianz Cultural Foundation is a supporter of cultural programs which strengthen European integration. Since 2000 their projects tackle key aspects in culture and contribute to building bridges between Europe’s peoples.
THE PROGRAMS OF THE ACF
Impresssions from “Parallel Lives”
6 Focus
THE U.S. PERSPECTIVE ON MULTICULTURALISM
When back in 2010 Angela Merkel famously
stated that “multiculturalism has failed, ut-
terly failed” in Germany, her choice of words
shocked observers in the U.S. In the States, the
idea of a politician making such a statement is
completely unthinkable. But Germany’s
“multi-kulti” is not multiculturalism as U.S.
Americans understand it.
Present-day Americans understand multicul-
turalism as the balm for our troubled history,
a value integral to our national character.
They associate multiculturalism with the fa-
mous metaphor of our nation as a “melting
pot.” The term, which comes from the title of
a 1908 play about Russian immigrants, de-
scribes the “fusion” of various cultures “melt-
ing together” into a harmonious whole. To
an American ear, multiculturalism means
a society of mutual tolerance in which the
members of various cultures are wel-
comed.
If a U.S. politician were to declare multicul-
turalism a failure, her comment would in-
evitably be interpreted as a call to return to
the era of racial segregation in the U.S., when
immigrants from “undesirable” ethnic groups
were restricted and non-whites treated as
second-class citizens. Even more shocking is
former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt’s
2004 comment that the Turkish migrants who
entered Germany as “guest workers” in the
1950s and 1960s should never have been ad-
mitted. From the lips of a U.S. presidential
contender, the statement that a particular im-
migrant group should never have been admit-
ted would constitute political suicide.
Chancellor Merkel’s remark jars the Ameri-
can ear because it is precisely the opposite of
political rhetoric here. We need look no fur-
ther than the 2004 speech that propelled
then-senatorial candidate Barack Obama to
national fame. “There is not a black America,
a white America, a Latino America, an Asian
America. There’s the United States of Amer-
ica,” he famously said. This is one example of
a rhetoric that inspires Americans to take
pride in multiculturalism as a national value.
Yet the American commitment to multicul-
turalism has always been more in name than
in deed. Even as the “melting pot” metaphor
became popular in the twentieth century, the
States continued to enforce restrictive ethnic
quotas for immigrants and to oppress Afri-
can-Americans under an infamous system of
Jim Crow laws. And the States’ ongoing prob-
lems with racism cannot be denied. Over the
past few years, immigration debate has be-
come heated. And a few high-profile shoot-
ings have sparked debate over racism within
the criminal justice system. The “melting
pot” is a legacy of American lip service to
multiculturalism, rather than practice of it.
Since the 1960s civil rights movement, diver-
sity has been treated as a value in itself. The
term multiculturalism prompts images of a
racial utopia in which various cultural groups
live side by side in harmony. This dream has
never truly existed in the U.S., but Americans
have not abandoned it.
Given this national rhetoric, many Americans
heard Merkel’s statements as blatantly intol-
erant. U.S. news reports erroneously linking
Merkel’s statement with far-right, extremist
neo-Nazi movements left Americans with a
much more discouraging picture of contem-
porary Germany than is deserved. Similar
comments by UK Prime Minister David
Cameron and former French president Nich-
olas Sarkozy have given casual U.S. observers
a poor impression of present-day European
nations.
Too many U.S. onlookers forget the ways
their own country has failed to create multi-
cultural harmony. Despite its “melting pot”
rhetoric, the U.S. certainly has not made a
perfect success at multiculturalism. The only
difference is that its politicians are less will-
ing to acknowledge this.
by Patience Haggin (ASA 2013)
Germany's “multi-kulti” is not multiculturalism as U.S. Americans understand it
7Focus
A EUROPEAN VIEW ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY
In today’s globalized world, where economic and
cultural ties between states are well established,
it seems natural that people want to go abroad
– for instance, to pursue job opportunities. In
some cases, however, people are forced to leave
their home country to escape persecution, tor-
ture or death – the current crisis in the Middle
East comes to mind. The spectrum of circum-
stances that can cause migration and in turn
lead to multicultural societies is a broad one.
In 2010 German Chancellor Angela Merkel de-
clared that “multiculturalism has failed.” From
a European perspective, such a statement is
problematic for a number of reasons. His-
torically, migration and multicultural societ-
ies are integral parts of our cultural heritage.
Economically, some European states depend
on the steady influx of personnel from abroad
to compensate the continued aging of their
populations. Culturally, Europe benefits from a
lot of the new perspectives and ideas immigrants
bring into society. From the perspective of inte-
gration, Merkel’s statement paves the ground for
discrimination because it implies that a peaceful
coexistence between natives and immigrants
based on equality is not possible.
Recent right-wing populist developments in
Europe have given this statement another
meaning: Policy-makers have failed to create
transparency on the economic and cultural
benefits of migration and to enhance tolerance
and acceptance for immigrants. Over the past
years, right-wing opinions have become in-
creasingly widespread in Europe. Formed on
the basis of Euroscepticism, nationalism and
hostility towards foreigners, political parties
such as Front national in France, UKIP in the
UK or Partij voor de Vrijheid in the Netherlands
have gained strength and confidence. Addition-
ally, since autumn 2014, the German civil
movement Pegida (Patriotic Europeans Against
the Islamisation of the West) has brought thou-
sands of people onto the streets, who share the
view that immigrants do not belong in Europe.
Voicing xenophobic views is becoming socially
acceptable across society, thus eroding the very
foundation of the European Union. This is
truly worrying. By its very nature, the EU is
built on the principles of peace, cooperation
and tolerance, which is particularly apparent in
its initial beginnings: After World War II, the
European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)
was established because the founding fathers
believed in building a united Europe to foster
peace and stability and to set an end to the fre-
quent wars which had dominated the European
continent. Though the ECSC founding treaty
required states to cooperate which had been en-
emies just a few years before, tolerance triumphed
and a fruitful cooperation began.
Furthermore, discrimination of people because
of their race or religion is a violation of elemen-
tary rights: Article 1 of the Charter of Funda-
mental Rights of the EU states that human dig-
nity is inviolable and must be respected and
protected. The document also asserts that any
form of discrimination shall be prohibited and
cultural, religious and linguistic diversity be re-
spected. Of course the Charter also guarantees
freedom of expression and information. Such
freedoms are essential. It is not acceptable, how-
ever, to exploit them to voice xenophobic
opinions.
Pegida has sparked counter rallies across Ger-
many to campaign for a diverse and open soci-
ety, rivalling and even exceeding this move-
ment in numbers. Multiculturalism is at the
very center of Europe and an essential part of
our norms and values. It is up to us to prevent
anti-immigrant thoughts from spreading and
to protect and foster the tolerant Europe we
know and live in. “Difference is of the essence
of humanity ... it should therefore never be the
source of hatred or conflict. The answer to dif-
ference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fun-
damental principle of peace,” as Nobel Peace
Prize winner John Hume once said.
by Stephanie Carstensen (ASA 2008)
Migration and multicultural societies are integral parts of our cultural heritage
8 Focus
Diversity is a concept often invoked in political discussions, especially in the European context. But what is cultural diversity and under what circumstances can societies benefit from it? We talked to Allianz Alumni to get a better understanding of cultural diversity and its significance for Europe.
ALUMNI ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY
If one wants to hear first-hand thoughts on cul-
tural diversity, what better sample to take than
alumni from the ACF Network? At the Allianz
Alumni Academy 2014 in Budapest, we talked
to several members from different backgrounds
and ASA generations to get a feeling for their
views on cultural diversity.
What is their understanding of cultural diver-
sity? Is it a value in itself, is it inherently good
or bad? Can and should cultural diversity be
actively promoted? Where do alumni see cul-
tural diversity in their environment and how
do they perceive it? And last but not least, keep-
ing in mind European policies and initiatives
to promote and foster cultural diversity: What
is the relationship between Europe and cul-
tural diversity in the opinion of our alumni?
A first interesting finding during the interviews
relates to the definition of cultural diversity.
Although the term is widely used, it was some-
times hard to actually define what is meant by
it. It almost seems that cultural diversity suffers
from being so overused and over popularized
that its meaning got lost on the way, leading us
to a point where arguably everybody talks
about cultural diversity, but does not envision
the same concept. Luckily, we found a small
common denominator: Cultural diversity
means that various cultures are present in a
given point and time.
Defined as a straight concept like this, alumni
pointed out several times that cultural diver-
sity is a fact of our time. However, this fact
alone is not the whole story. Cultural diversity
really becomes fascinating when one starts to
build upon the fact of diversity and looks at its
social consequences and implications.
Our interviewees experienced cultural diver-
sity directly themselves, be it through their
studies in a different country, at the workplace
or in their personal environment. From sharing
a dormitory with nationals of three countries,
trying various cuisines in one evening to en-
countering surprising new customs at a wed-
ding or having to constantly counter stereo-
types, experiences of alumni with cultural
diversity varied greatly. Unsurprisingly, then,
when it came to judging the value of cultural
diversity, answers widely differed, ranging from
clear endorsements to views that are more
skeptical.
For the positive aspects, much as for the defini-
tion of cultural diversity, it was not that easy to
name the actual benefits even though almost
We should not take cultural diversity for granted. By nature, humans might tend to surround themselves with people from the same culture. Marc Kempf, Munich/Germany
Cultural diversity works as a mirror to reflect on your own culture. Cillian O’Donoghue, Brussels/Belgium
ENCOURAGING PEOPLE
9Focus
all interviewees stated that cultural diversity
is a positive thing. Alumni pointed out the
social benefits of cultural diversity, namely
that diversity allows us to pick and choose the
best parts. Different cultures bring with them
new sets of ideas and perspectives, which ben-
efits us since we can create new insights and
potentially improve our surroundings, e.g. by
reacting to problems that were not apparent
before.
On the negative side, when diversity “doesn’t
work out,” cultures do not get along which can
range from everyday harassment to outright
conflict between various groups. This division
is also apparent on the political level where
alumni identified two camps: one camp sees
diversity as a threat to democracy because it
undermines the set of common values that
underpin a democratic society. The second
camp sees diversity as a key resource and po-
tential solution since we need new perspec-
tives in a globalized world.
Having identified that cultural diversity can be
negative and positive for a society, this in turn
leads to the question under which circum-
stances cultural diversity can become a posi-
tively associated value. In this regard, alumni
pointed out the importance of a framework for
dealing with cultural diversity. They also iden-
tified key pillars of such a framework in order
to benefit from cultural diversity. One key pil-
lar is empathy and mutual respect. Without it,
benefitting from cultural diversity seems al-
most impossible as there will not be any cul-
tural exchange. Instead, members of a given
culture are locked in a constant competition
against other cultures, asserting their superior-
ity. One part of this pillar is also self-restraint
to a given point. “We should not be imposing
our ideas onto others.”
Another key pillar which facilitates mutual re-
spect is uncovering connections between cul-
tures. As one alumnus put it: “There are some
fundamental [values] that all of us subscribe
to, so to celebrate diversity we have to find the
commonalities and make them visible to every-
one.” Finally, inclusiveness is also important.
Since we want to benefit from cultural diver-
sity, alumni pointed out that the goal cannot
and indeed should not be to have a European
culture. Being inclusive thus does not mean
integrating different parts into one new culture
but rather having a set of fundamental shared
values and diversity around it. Here, alumni
identified clear room for improvement as some
national and European policies targeted at cul-
tural diversity are being perceived as exclusive,
be it to residual cultures or non-Europeans. In
fact, alumni were eager to point out that cul-
tural diversity is a global issue and does not
stop at the European borders. The current po-
litical landscape still neglects this.
Interestingly, although alumni identified cul-
tural diversity as a fact of our time, they had
conflicting views on its origin. For some, cul-
tural diversity happens organically and is
sometimes even inherent to a given place. For
others, cultural diversity, at least in order to be
beneficial, needs political input. Given a hu-
man tendency to surround ourselves with
equals, states can set incentives and contribute
to the aforementioned framework. Since alum-
ni also understood cultural diversity as a pro-
cess, there is a need for ongoing involvement
by all stakeholders, especially where they have
neglected the process of cultural diversity, e.g.
by not thinking clearly about integrating mi-
grants into the workforce.
On a European level, the fact that the EU brings
together cultures should be promoted even
more in the future. However, as one alumnus
stated, one has to be careful not to focus only
on elites with programs like Erasmus, but
rather to “encourage people from all walks of
life to work abroad to ensure that the next gen-
eration is more pro-European and open to-
wards cultural diversity.”
by Nicolas Zahn (ASA 2013)
The EU values cultural diversity very much but only as long as we are talking about European cultures. This is a problem. Ioana Puşcaş, Geneva/Switzerland
We need empathy in order for cultural diversity to work. Jehona Gjurgjeala, Prishtina/Kosovo
10 High Profile
A LONG HIKE TO A HIGH PEAK
Dr. Gunter Pleuger, born in 1941, entered the German Foreign Service in 1969. After being stationed in various places around the world, he served as State Secretary from 1999 to 2002 in the Federal Foreign Office, and subsequently as Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations in New York until 2006. From 2008 to 2014 he held the office of President at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder).
How was your 2008 transition from the Ger-man Federal Foreign Office to the European University Viadrina? Dr. Gunter Pleuger: I was somewhat prepared
for the University, because after retiring from
the Foreign Service I lectured at the University
of Potsdam from 2006 to 2008. The invitation
that came from Frankfurt to serve as President
of Viadrina was unexpected, as I didn’t know
anyone there. I found out that it was in fact the
most international German university, and
that the position was connected to my earlier
activities in diplomacy and international poli-
Gunter Pleuger at the panel at the Economic Forum in Krynica-Zdrój
the Federal Foreign Office, of course within
the framework set by the federal government.
As a university we can’t make policies, but we
can give impulses through research and educa-
tion. I can give you a good example: In 2010 we
established the so-called “Trialogue” between
Germany, Poland and Russia, to be carried out
by the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru,
the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University
in Kaliningrad and the European University
Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder). All three univer-
sities participated enthusiastically. Shortly
thereafter the three Foreign Ministers from the
tics. What particularly appealed to me was that
the University’s mission statement contained a
commitment to building bridges with Poland
and Central and Eastern Europe. That’s why
I said yes.
In retrospect, what did your work in the Fed-eral Foreign Office and at Viadrina have in common? Pleuger: Let’s start with the differences. I be-
lieve that you can shape and make policies in
11High Profile
compromise so that both negotiations partners
can go home and say, “We gave something, and
we got something.” Both have to be winners.
Multilateral diplomacy works differently be-
cause you don’t make decisions via compro-
mise between two diplomats, but via a majority
decision at a conference. For that you need to
gather votes in order to reach a majority. Al-
though you work for “victory” by a majority
decision, bilateral diplomacy also comes into
play. To obtain a two-thirds majority in the UN
General Assembly you need to convince 128 of
the 193 members. There are two possible ways
of doing so: either you convince the delegation
that your interests are also their interests, or,
when that doesn’t work, you make a deal and
promise the other side that if they vote for you
on your issue you will support them on another
issue of their interest. That’s how you gather
votes – but the prerequisite for this process
is that you have earned enough trust because
both sides have to be convinced that they can
rely on the deal to be implemented.
Decisions by multilateral organizations such
as the UN Security Council can be difficult to
achieve. There are many factors that can make
reaching a quick decision difficult. The states
that make decisions have different interests and
different degrees of power. In the multilateral
sphere, the states on the Security Council have
the most power. The five permanent members
have the power to veto.
But I can also give you an example of effec-
tive work: when violence broke out in Haiti
in 2004, the President of the Security Council
called all of the members on a Sunday morn-
ing. The Security Council met at 4 pm. By 7
pm it had made all the necessary decisions, and
by 10 pm that same evening the first French
and American soldiers that were sent in the UN
peacekeeping mission were in the air and on
their way to Haiti.
At the Economic Forum 2014 in Krynica the crisis in Ukraine, where we were meeting for the first part of the interview, was discussed at great length. What is your personal per-spective on this crisis and what possible solu-tions do you see? Pleuger: Only through diplomacy and ne-
gotiations can you find solutions to political
problems where in the end everyone supports
and is willing to implement the same agree-
respective countries also met in Kaliningrad
and agreed to establish a Trialogue between the
three countries at ministerial level. The Ger-
man Foreign Minister at the time, Mr. West-
erwelle, said that our Trialogue Project was the
model for that agreement. That was of course
very encouraging, and beginning in 2012 we
started the organization of a conference enti-
tled “Russia and Europe: Historic Experiences
and Strategic Partnership.” It took place in
April 2014, in Kaliningrad, and attained par-
ticular significance against the background of
the Ukraine Crisis. We asked what a partner-
ship between Russia and the EU would look
like after the current crisis had been overcome.
It was an outstanding conference, and perhaps
it also provided input for the political debate
of the three governments. That’s how I see the
connection with my previous work.
Of your stations abroad, what was the most important for you? Pleuger: That’s easy; it was my last posting
as Ambassador to the United Nations, dur-
ing a time when Germany had a two-year
position as a non-permanent member on
the Security Council from 2003 to 2004 when
the Iraq crisis was at the center of deliberations.
That was the most difficult issue I’ve experi-
enced in nearly 40 years in the Foreign Service.
Discussions were conducted with the greatest
seriousness, and naturally, the high point was
the presentation of the American position by
Secretary of State Colin Powell on February 5,
2003. There was a really eerie atmosphere, be-
cause almost everyone in the room knew that
Mr. Powell – who we all held in high regard as
a person – wasn’t telling the truth in his ac-
count. The feeling was that the decision to wage
a war, in which thousands of people would die
had already been made by the U.S. government
without justification by the facts and based on
fiction. I believe that the German position on
the war in Iraq – to not legitimize it by a Secu-
rity Council decision – was the right decision.
That was certainly my most difficult and most
important mission.
Do you sometimes lose a bit of your faith in words? Do you think that everything should be done differently or more effectively? Pleuger: There you have to consider a series of
factors: foreign policy and diplomacy in par-
ticular, is like a long hike to a very high peak.
You have to deal with colleagues who are totally
independent of you. That’s why there are no
solutions in bilateral diplomacy where there’s
a winner and a loser. No diplomat goes back
to his Foreign Minister to tell him that he has
lost. An agreement can only be achieved by a
ment. That means that all parties engaged in
the conflict have to talk to each other and try
to negotiate a solution that ends violence and
lays the groundwork for establishing a peaceful
development.
I think that the efforts made initially by the
“Weimar Triangle” of France, Poland and Ger-
many and now within the “Normandy Group”
consisting of France, Ukraine, Russia and
Germany are on a possible track for a solution,
provided the Minsk agreements are faithfully
implemented by all parties. The Security Coun-
cil Resolution that has transformed the Minsk
agreements into an internationally binding de-
cision of international law is an important step
forward but lacks a stipulation that would assist
and protect the OSCE inspectors. A helpful step
could be the decision by the Security Council
to send a peace keeping mission made up of
the five permanent members of the Council
to Ukraine in support of the OSCE mission.
So far OSCE inspectors have very often been
prevented to do their job.
Finally, it might be helpful to reestablish both
the G8 and the Nato-Russia-Council as a ne-
gotiation forum. In the end, lasting, perma-
nent and peaceful cooperation in Europe will
require not just the end of the Ukraine crisis
but also a definition of how a strategic relation-
ship with Russia could look like in the future.
Interview by Andreas Lorek (ASA 2006)
There are many factors that can make reaching a quick decision difficult
12
“In Varietate Concordia” is not only a European motto but a concept urging us to understand that difference enriches human interactions. Variety is a positive asset and enables us to reflect on our own culture as well. Diversity can lead to an atmosphere of social trust and growth to attain peace and prosperity through respect of differences. Allianz Alumni Academies represent a platform for young professionals and students to share values, discuss ideas and grow together through common projects.
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Internal Affairs
Participants of the Allianz Alumni Academy 2014
Inspirational, stimulating, meaningful and in-
tercultural are the most repeated attributes
when alumni describe the experience of the
Allianz Alumni Academy 2014. A new year has
started but the last year stays with us in our
memories of the gathering in Central Europe
at the Central European University in the beau-
tiful historical city of Budapest.
Most of us arrived after a busy working week
on Friday, the 28th of November, to see friends
again, get new ideas, new energy and motiva-
tion to learn about and work on common proj-
ects and initiatives that matter for Europe.
Almost 70 young professionals and students
from various countries reconnected with old
friends, got to know the new members of the
alumni group including our American friends
from Princeton and discussed Europe’s chal-
lenges and future. The recent alumni survey
showed that the opportunity to get together,
discuss and enjoy each other’s company are the
main motivators for the European connections,
which the alumni keep and develop between
themselves on a regular basis. As usual during
alumni reunions, not only bright minds have
worked their brains thanks to interesting ses-
sions, but the Academy and the Hungarian
Almost 70 young professionals and students from various countries reconnected
13
salient issue of the “Russia and the rest” ap-
proach of the former Soviet Union empire chal-
lenging the 21st century political (dis)order.
Speakers provoked multiple questions and
contributions from all those interested in po-
litical dilemmas that Europe has been facing
during the past months in an everchanging
world. Intellectually stimulated and hungry
participants were treated to a tasty buffet lunch
in a typical Hungarian restaurant.
Instead of an afternoon siesta we all headed
back to a workshop about boosting our careers.
It highlighted a few key ways to write a success-
ful application for everyone who is interested
in finding or changing a job or to apply for a
university program. We could all agree that
expert insights on professional growth are al-
ways useful.
Active alumni then presented their projects and
new initiatives and impressed with their skills,
achievements and interesting ideas to apply
their talents, their know-how and their multi-
national and multicultural connections into
practice.
The AAA’s Saturday menu could not have
ended better than with a tasty dinner on a boat
symbolically floating on the Danube river, the
European Union’s longest river connecting ten
European countries. The icing on the cake was
some relaxing time in spa or discovering what
the local bars had to offer.
The next day, the day of departure, was marked
by the Alumni Council presentation and elec-
tions of new members that will represent alum-
ni interests and enhance and facilitate the con-
versation between ACF’s management and the
generations of alumni who want and can be
part of Europe’s better future while being
“United in Diversity.”
The AAA 2014 eventful menu was delicious.
We made the most out of the time together and
we all look forward to our next Alumni Acad-
emy. Carpe diem, alumni friends. Until we
meet again!
by Naďa Kovalčíková (ASA 2009)
End of the weekend: walk in the historical city of Budapest
Meeting good friends
cuisine have thoroughly fulfilled alumni ex-
pectations and their stomachs as well.
The appetizer on the intellectual menu was the
welcome address by the President and Rector
of the Central European University, John
Shattuck, and it was elegantly complemented
by Henning Schulte-Noelle’s key-note from the
Board of Trustees of the Allianz Cultural
Foundation. Everything was perfectly planned
and arranged as usual thanks to the team of the
Allianz Cultural Foundation (ACF) that made
it so easy and nice this time again.
The second day was opened by several speech-
es of ACF and university representatives
who served us with two parallel fishbowl
discussions moderated by our talented
alumni fellows. The first fishbowl discus-
sion was about new dividing lines of Cata-
lonia, Flanders and Scotland – a Europe of na-
tion states or of regions. It triggered a vivid
debate on intercultural, national and regional
challenges of states and communities sharing
the same or similar values but different lan-
guages, cultures and/or historical roots.
The second fishbowl discussion – Putin and
Europe. How should Europe position itself to-
wards Russia? – raised a wide awareness and
provoked a number of questions regarding the
Farewell speech of Henning Schulte-Noelle
Fishbowl discussion
We could all agree that expert insights on professional growth are always useful
Internal Affairs
14 Internal Affairs
DISCUSSING EUROPEAN DISINTEGRATION
Scotland’s narrow 2014 vote to reject indepen-
dence marked the first time a democratic
movement for statehood has come so close to
succeeding and prompted discussion across the
continent about what would happen should
such a movement succeed. Allianz alumni de-
bated the motivations and consequences of
such independence movements in a “fishbowl”-
style discussion where policy experts swam
along with students.
In fall of 2014, 55 percent of Scottish voters re-
jected independence in an election with record
turnout. A disappointment to Scottish nation-
alists but a wake-up call to the international
community, the close vote renewed attention
on other regions that have called for indepen-
dence, such as Catalonia.
Scotland’s close vote had many across the con-
tinent asking how a breakaway state might gain
membership in the European Union. Former
European Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso has indicated that any newly indepen-
dent state would have to apply for European
Union membership through the usual
channels.
“What is clear, I think, is that there is no
automatic EU membership for regions who
get out of their own countries,” Judit
Törökné Rózsa, a civil servant responsible for
the European Regional Development Fund at
the European Commission, and one of the first
“fish” in the Academy’s bowl.
Independence supporters have said Scotland
would have had a quick route to membership,
as it already meets the economic and human
rights standards comfortably. Opponents have
suggested that member states that have resisted
regionalist movements at home would not be
so quick to accept Scotland. Even more unclear
is which currency an independent Scotland
would use.
Despite the identity rhetoric of nationalist
movements, Allianz alumni found room for
debate on their true motivations. Harold James,
a professor of European history at Princeton
University, argued that Scottish nationalists
were motivated by a preference for social poli-
cies far more liberal than England’s. “Scotland
has a different kind of political environment
than the majority in England. It’s more left-
wing,” James said. Until now, he remarked, the
UK has addressed these issues by granting
Scotland local authority on certain matters. He
noted that northern Englanders are often lib-
eral as well, and wondered aloud whether some
northern Englanders might prefer to be part of
an independent Scotland.
Scottish nationalists have promised to put the
matter of independence away for a generation.
But in the meantime, they have certainly
caught the notice of observers in the UK and
elsewhere. Allianz alumni wondered whether
the close vote would give Scotland greater le-
verage to bargain for autonomy within the UK,
or whether independence movements might
gain so much traction that the EU would create
a mechanism to regularize them.
The Catalonian independence movement –
which also drew attention for its support last
year – also has its roots in political motivations,
explained Felipe Basabe Llorens, head of bud-
getary affairs for the Instituto Cervantes, who
is half-Catalan and half-Basque.
“We have entered the trap of an identity fight,”
Basabe Llorens said. “What should have been
a simple discussion on the separation of powers
[on issues such as taxes] has ended up falling
into the trap because of internal politics within
the Catalan party system.” In recent decades,
support for Catalonian independence has shift-
ed from right-wing parties to the center-left, he
explained. This shift has coincided with a pe-
riod of economic decline in Catalonia, as much
of the media industry has left Barcelona.
Independence movements also found fervor
last year in Catalonia, where voters turned out
for an unofficial referendum in November not
recognized by the Spanish government. In the
straw poll with a turnout estimated at around
40 percent, over 80 percent of Catalonians
voted to create an independent state. Previous
unofficial referendums have shown similar lev-
els of support, albeit with lower turnout.
In any case, the rise of regionalist movements
may have consequences for the modern nation-
state. As regions demand – and receive – great-
er recognition, some wondered whether the
nation-state may lose its supremacy in the
continent.
“The idea of a nation-state is more problematic,
as the state can no longer be seen as the primary
focus of a culture,” stated Juraj Chmiel, the
Czech Republic’s ambassador to Hungary and
former minister for European Affairs.
by Patience Haggin (ASA 2013)
Policy experts “swam” along with students in two fishbowl events
Regionalist movements may have consequences for the modern nation-state
15Internal Affairs
UNDERSTANDING THE UKRAINE CONFLICT
Despite the diversity of European backgrounds
and professional experiences, the seven panel-
ists participating in the fishbowl discussion
“Putin and Europe: How should Europe posi-
tion itself towards Russia?” agreed on a crucial
common point: The ongoing tensions between
Russia and Ukraine present a unique opportu-
nity for the EU to act unilaterally and gain ex-
perience and respect from the international
community as a peace broker. Other potential
decision makers in the negotiation process,
including the United States and NATO, have
distanced themselves from the conflict or not
taken decisive action, paving the way for the
EU to lead negotiations and offer practical
solutions.
The panel was moderated by Monika Kokštaitė (ASA 2011) and Elona Xhaferri (ASA 2009) and
included Henning Schulte-Noelle (Board of
Trustees – Allianz Cultural Foundation),
Arnoldas Pranckevičius (Adviser to the Presi-
dent of the European Parliament), Uwe Puetter
(Central European University), Desislava Kara-
asenova (University of Sofia), Serge Pukas
(Polish Academy of Sciences), Johanna
Schmidt-Jevtic (Ludwig Maximilians Univer-
sity – Munich), and Stefano Riela (Bocconi
University). The panelists indicated that recent
developments in the Donbass region, including
Russia’s continued forays into Ukrainian terri-
tory, have only served to keep both sides on
The fishbowl panelists and the moderators
A unique opportunity for the EU to act unilaterally and gain experience and respect
edge and prevent serious resolution discussions.
“There is a degree of fear and uncertainty,”
said Pranckevičius. “Russia is breaking the
rules in an assertive way. It feels encircled and
let down, having lost territory and influence
in the region over the past two decades.”
Riela noted that the EU “controls bargaining
power with Russia” due to its financial le-
verage over the country from economic
sanctions. As a result, according to Riela,
“Putin is turning elsewhere, in particular
China, to deal with sanctions.” However,
Riela and other panelists doubted whether
Russia’s new relationship with Beijing and the
recent successful natural gas pipeline negotia-
tions between the two countries would neces-
sarily be enough to fully counteract the effects
of the EU’s sanctions.
The panelists indicated that if the EU wants to
fully exploit its bargaining position with Mos-
cow, then member states must formulate a com-
mon policy for dealing with Putin’s regime.
Pukas argued that this is especially true for en-
ergy relations – there has long been an internal
divide between Western EU member states,
which have generally had cordial relations with
Russia, and Eastern EU member states, which
have had strained relations with Russia.
Pukas stated that this divide could be bridged
by “establishing an energy union, fully inte-
grating the internal energy market, and creat-
ing a process for the common negotiation of
prices with suppliers,” which the new EC is
serious about implementing. However, a fully
functioning energy union could take years to
implement – until then, Russia will hold some
leverage in energy discussions with Brussels.
The panelists remained hopeful of a solution
to the Russia-Ukraine situation in the near
future. After all, they noted that Putin is
operating on borrowed time – as oil prices
continue to fall and the ruble continues to
depreciate, there is an increasing likelihood
that Russia will have trouble paying off its for-
eign debt. In other words, Russia will have to
come to the bargaining table at some point as
it weakens financially – the Russian govern-
ment recently announced that the economy
will likely fall into recession in 2015, so nego-
tiations may come sooner rather than later.
Regardless of what course of action the EU
decides and what policies it decides to imple-
ment, Schulte-Noelle indicated that the EU
should “be unified and send a clear message
to Russia and Ukraine.”
by Andrew Sartorius (ASA 2013)
16 Reflections
to Europe, in the West and the East, and pro-
vided both a perspective and an alternative for
former Soviet-ridden states. It is indisputable
that the EU definitely has brought peace and
stability to Eastern Europe and offered a per-
spective to those states. However, more than ten
years after the EU’s Eastern enlargement, those
countries obviously perceive a lack of commit-
ment of the EU and NATO in guaranteeing their
security. Considering the crisis in Ukraine in
particular, the threat Russia poses to their own
territorial integrity leads the three Baltic States
More than one year has passed since the citizens
of Ukraine started their demonstrations on the
Maidan in Kiev, demonstrations against the re-
jection of the EU Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement between Ukraine and the European
Union. Citizens protested against President
Yanukovich’s decision not to approach towards
Europe, towards Western norms and values,
towards a European dream.
But what has happened since? Elections,
Crimean secession, the shooting down of
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 and a civil war
in the Donbass region – a lot of developments
affecting the lives of millions of people in the
“Border Country,” which is the original meaning
of “Ukraine.” And the European response to the
crisis in the country at its border – a crisis initi-
ated by a decision about the direction of the
country? How did the EU reply to the incidents
in Ukraine?
The EU imposed sanctions on Russia, the state
that is perceived of adding fuel to the fire in
Ukraine. Further commitments include the
facilitation of talks regarding Ukraine’s gas
supply by the former EU Commissioner for
Energy, Günther Oettinger, monetary assis-
tance to avoid the threatening bankruptcy of
the country or other diplomatic initiatives.
A single member state, Lithuania, provides
military equipment to face the threat they per-
ceive to be emanating from Russia in the East.
The EU was meant to bring peace and stability
WHERE LIFE IS NOT PEACEFUL
EUROPE, LOOK EAST
Europe is obviously lacking commitment and neglecting the importance of a neighbor
Ukraine is at a crossroads – as is the European Union. However, while people in Ukraine are protesting and fighting for their country’s direction, Europe is choosing to wait – neglecting and abusing its own and Ukraine’s destiny.
17Reflections
move could be expected, leading heads of state
and government like German Chancellor Angela
Merkel or President of France François Hollande
publicly reiterated that they did not see any near-
time perspective for Ukraine in either the EU or
NATO. Does this really appear to be a commit-
ted approach of the West?
The underlying problem is probably not a gen-
eral disinterest or a desire not to become
involved with the internal affairs of Ukraine
but more the EU’s lack of awareness of its
own direction. The dominating topics dur-
ing the past years were economic and legal
ones – the euro and debt crises and leaders’ at-
tempts to solve them as well as the general EU
reform finally undertaken with regard to a com-
promised Lisbon Treaty, which were undisputa-
bly topics of crucial importance. However, since
Lisbon and with regard to the economic crisis,
a real vision for Europe in 20 or 50 years is miss-
ing. Where does Europe want to go? What is
supposed to be Europe’s future shape? And
probably most important, what role is the EU
willing to play regionally in Europe but also on
the stage of world politics? The crisis in Ukraine
reveals that the EU is struggling with its own role
and identity both in Europe, with its neighbors
and on the global stage.
The probably most severe and constraining
problem the EU faces is that its leaders have lost
The citizens of Ukraine demonstrating on the Maidan in Kiev
ambitions to raise long-term goals for Europe.
Instead, they have been occupied with extin-
guishing the fires and thus reacting to crises. Yet,
a strong Europe does not only need the ability
to react but also to act proactively. European
leaders need to propose a new vision to their
citizens. Ukraine and the European approaches
to its Eastern neighbors show that ten years after
the Eastern enlargement, Europe needs a new
coherent vision.
From the end of the 1960s, the former German
chancellor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Willy
Brandt revolutionized his country’s foreign
policy with his “Ostpolitik” during the Cold War.
Today, voices claiming a new Cold War is ap-
proaching are getting louder and louder.
To that end, the time has come for the EU as
Brandt’s successor in the club of Nobel Laureates
to reconsider its Eastern policies and to establish
a new vision towards its Eastern neighbors.
The European Security Strategy claims: “Europe
has never been so prosperous, so secure nor so
free.” It is true, Europe is a success; yet, in
Ukraine we see the limitations for this success
today – limitations for our children. But I hope
the Europeans love their children too.
by Hans Siglbauer (ASA 2013)
into pledges towards the EU and NATO for pro-
tection. Accordingly, their national efforts for
defence have increased in the second half of
2014.
Ukraine finds itself in the same problematic
situation. It is not an EU member but part of the
European Neighborhood Policy. Yet, Europe is
obviously lacking commitment and neglecting
the importance of a neighbor – a key state for
Europe’s own security. Major pipelines pass
through Ukraine, severely threatening the secu-
rity of Europe’s supply of oil and gas from Russia
and on which Europe is still very dependent for
its economic success.
Ukraine – on the Russian and European periph-
ery – could be transformed into a center of grav-
ity bridging Europe with Russia, the Caucasus
and Central Asia. Still, Europe is persistently
overlooking the strategic role Ukraine plays in
its policies.
The CSCE Final Act of 1975 guarantees every
state in Europe a free choice of military alliance.
In December 2014 Ukraine decided to abolish
its non-aligned status and is now moving to-
wards application for NATO and EU member-
ship. This is Ukraine’s right and should be re-
spected by both sides, Russia and Europe.
Russia sees itself threatened by such a develop-
ment and justifies its involvement in Ukraine
just out of this fear that is now becoming reality.
On the European side, in late 2014, before
Ukraine made this decision but when such a
The crisis in Ukraine reveals that the EU is struggling with its own role and identity
18
LET’S TALK ABOUT STARTUPS!
When you hear the word “startup,” you think of creative and innovative people who try to enter a market, of accelerators and incubators. But every big company started out once small. The alumni who initiated this Jackpot Project looked at this topic from a European perspective. Here are some of their results.
The European Startup Initiative (esi) is a non-
profit project which facilitates the interaction
among startups, accelerators and decision mak-
ers across Europe. esi was founded by four
alumni and young Europeans who are passion-
ate about entrepreneurship – Agata Jaskot (Po-
land), Andrea Contigiani (Italy), Fabrizio
Dell’Acqua (Italy) and Thomas Kösters
(Germany). They aim to elaborate a vision
for a more entrepreneurship-friendly Europe
and to initiate and stir horizontal EU-wide
dialog among players and stakeholders. The
originating spark of this project came about dur-
ing the Allianz Alumni Academy 2012 in Berlin,
when the team heard about the possibility to get
funding for alumni projects through the Alumni
Jackpot Project scheme. Thomas worked in the
area of entrepreneurship networks. Andrea’s
Jackpot Projects
Agata Jaskot as moderator of the expert panel
PhD studies focus on entrepreneurship, and he
thought that this project is an “excellent combi-
nation between working on topics I like and try-
ing to give a little contribution to the construc-
tion of a better Europe.” Fabrizio is a founder of
startups in Italy, and Agata “felt the curiosity to
work on a topic which is slightly different from
the ones I work on a daily basis.” They all believe
that there is an urgent need to make Europe an
easier place for pursuing an entrepreneurial
career.
In fact, esi consists of complementary projects.
A series of interviews with European entrepre-
Europe lacks an entrepre-neurship culture conducive to founding new companies
19
piece. Most respondents agree also that bank-
ruptcy and labor termination laws are too
strong in the EU. Entrepreneurs often lack
capital to start and grow a company, and find
it difficult to obtain financing. Getting funding
from private investors and banks is hard, get-
ting public funding – even harder. Other chal-
lenges for startups are finding skilled employ-
ees, the strong competition, lack of good
(Internet) infrastructure and expanding
abroad.
During the event in Berlin, the esi team re-
ported on their results and activities. They
confronted the results with the opinion of the
specialized public and started a debate about
possible improvements to EU entrepreneur-
ship. Around 100 stakeholders (startuppers,
accelerators, investors and EU representatives)
attended to discuss the challenges facing future
European entrepreneurs. The debate was con-
centrated in two panels with ten speakers –
“The EU Startup Ecosystem Today” – and
“How to Make Europe an Easy Place for Start-
ups.”
The whole team is fascinated about the experi-
ence of Jackpot Projects. Andrea stated: “The
primary element is really the passion for the
idea you are pursuing. You need to really be-
lieve in what you are doing and realize how it
can be beneficial to you and people around you.
Once you have found that right idea, you need
to find a good team. Team work is hard in itself.
If team members do not fit well together, things
get even harder.” Agata advises alumni to think
in long-term perspectives: “Just try to do a
project in a topic that is close to your heart. It
is extremely important as you will most likely
be doing this project in your free time i.e., after
having completed your daily routine – such as
long hours of work or studies.” Thomas thinks
“that it is good if you use synergy effects, be-
tween your work and jackpot projects, like net-
works.” For example, he got a job at Microsoft
as a result of his commitment to esi. Fabrizio’s
advice about Jackpot Projects is: “Do them!
They will take more than what you expect but
they will definitely give you much more than
what you expect!”
The team also plans to further develop the
project. esi 1.0 was a learning phase, the knowl-
edge of which will be used for a second project.
As all team members met in Budapest at the
Allianz Alumni Academy 2014, they started
developing new ideas for esi 2.0. We look for-
ward to see how it develops.
by Anna Lászlo (ASA 2008)
Jackpot Projects
Two of the organizers: Fabrizio Dell’Acqua and Thomas Kösters
Kai Müller from Allianz SE
Guests in Berlin
neurs, part of the social media campaign
#startupcountryweeks, and the survey “A New
Look into EU Entrepreneurship” served as in-
termediate steps and knowledge building
blocks for the event “Accelerate EU – Mak-
ing Europe an Easy Place for Startups” held
in Berlin at the ACF premises. These ambi-
tious projects proved a challenge, since
team members had to coordinate their work
from their various countries. They met in
Milan to decide on the tasks and allocate re-
sponsibilities. This meeting yielded some valu-
able team-building. Thomas remembers that
“after 48 hours together, they had the feeling
they could change the world through this proj-
ect.” The division of tasks focused on each
team member’s area of expertise: Thomas was
responsible for networking and campaigning,
Andrea for getting partners on board, Agata for
communication and social media, and Fabrizio
for budgeting, logo-development and establish-
ing esi as an Italian association.
Some of their findings: the number of success-
ful startups in Europe is far lower than in the
U.S., indicating that Europe lacks an entrepre-
neurship culture conducive to founding new
companies. In the context of the recent eco-
nomic and financial crisis, entrepreneurship is
a potential solution for fighting youth unem-
ployment in Europe. The online-survey of Eu-
ropean entrepreneurs shows some facts about
the EU entrepreneurial ecosystem. With over
300 responses from startup founders and em-
ployees from different sectors from 25 of the 28
member states, the survey reveals that there are
four main obstacles startuppers face: lack of
financing, difficulties entering a market, lack
of competence or difficulties of expanding
abroad. Around 60 percent of respondents
stated that EU regulation is not favorable for
young ventures. The cost of starting a new
company is the major harmful regulation-
Entrepreneurship as a potential solution for fighting youth unemployment in Europe
Funded Jackpot ProjectsEvery year, ACF offers its alumni the op-portunity to get support and funding for their own projects with a focus on European topics, through the Jackpot Projects. Alum-ni can apply for up to 5000 euros by submit-ting a project description and a budget. At least three alumni from different ASA gen-erations must form a team. The idea of this funding scheme is to strengthen and further develop the Alumni Network by giving alum-ni the opportunity to work together on com-mon projects. These projects often turn out to be beneficial for the studies or careers of the participants.The selected Jackpot Projects for 2015 are: the Franco-British Comparative Project, Partners in Learning: An Outreach Project on EU-MENA Academic Mobility 2015, Junior Diplomat Initiative 2015 and the European Startup Initiative (esi).
20 Careers
look at yourself, but also engage in a conversa-
tion, a dialog with your boss. If I had to choose
between the perfect job with the perfect salary
in the perfect company, but with a future boss
that I just probably won’t respect, that is not
interested in me, then I would rather choose
a less important company, a less important
job but with somebody who is investing in
my learning. And another thing I would say
is: engage in conversation with others. Engage
in conversations with peers, with family and
friends. Ask them how they see you. Is there
a discrepancy between how you view yourself
and how others view you? And so, if you look
at these three aspects, you might find a more
fulfilling way towards a career. And never for-
get that working life has changed enormously.
In my generation, in previous generations, you
invested three, four, five years in your educa-
tion, and that would last for the whole work-
Many young people nowadays find it hard to figure out what career to choose and to know what they want to be because there are so many chances and options. Sometimes I feel you can be anything and nothing at the same time. What would your advice be for young professionals? Emilio Galli Zugaro: I think the most im-portant thing is: search for your daimon. The “daimon” is a Greek term, you could translate it as “demon,” but the real trans-lation is “the calling.” Try to figure out what was the most important drive dur-ing your childhood, at a young age. What did you want to do when you were young, before all the career consultants? What was your dream, your vision? The worst thing that can happen to a human being is not working on his vision, on his dreams. And when they become a father or a mother, the first thing
this person will do is project all the unlived dreams onto their children, destroying their lives. So the first thing you should do is listen to your inner voice. Another thing I would say is: as important as the employer is, as im-portant as the job content is, it is very impor-tant to find good leaders. So your decision, if you’re struggling to choose between two jobs:
look at who the better boss might be. Who is the person who listens, not only speaks? Who
I would trust to discuss my flaws, my errors
of development, my strengths and weaknesses
with, in order to develop, in order to learn? So
EMILIO’S CAREER ADVICE
Emilio Galli Zugaro has been Head of Group Communications of Allianz SE since 1992. He sometimes refers to himself as a “dinosaur.” With his diverse background – he studied political science and worked as a journalist before joining Allianz – he is more like a rock star within the Allianz cosmos who always has an open ear and offers inspiring and creative advice to young people.
A European connection – Emilio Galli Zugaro and Sara-Sumie Yang
The worst thing that can happen to a human being is not working on his vision
21Careers
ing life. That is no longer the case. Everything
changes. Don’t think you will finish learning
when you’re 26 or 25.
Coming back to this first aspect you men-tioned – listening to your inner voice, fol-lowing your dreams and your visions – was it always your dream to become the Head of Communications of a huge international in-surance company? Or what would you be if not that?Galli Zugaro: Well, I had two dreams as a
child and as a teenager. One was to become
an architect, an interior architect, an interior
designer, and the other was to become a jour-
nalist. I ticked off the journalist part pretty
soon, because I became a journalist early in my
career and I had a wonderful time. From war
reporting to international summits reporting,
it was very interesting, it was a very fulfilling
career. I ticked off the interior architect part
when I started to restructure some old family
estates and my own houses, so I’m living as an
architect right now, refurbishing our place
in Italy and in Germany in the future. So,
what I discovered is that I was blessed by
nature with having different callings. Later
on I discovered that politics was something
that I really enjoyed and I lived that to the full.
And then I entered the corporate world and
I’ve been doing this job for 23 years. I would
never have dreamt to do this job and I think
it’s always good to listen to the voice in what
you would like to do rather than what job you
would like to have. Having a job like this is
wonderful because I have lots of opportuni-
ties to shape things, to influence things and
to provide a contribution. I would never have
dreamt of getting here and actually, as I told
you, I just finished a training course on execu-
tive coaching, and now I know that my calling
for the last part of my life will be in mentoring
and coaching, much more than in corporate
communication. So you see, I haven’t fulfilled
my callings yet.
Another important issue nowadays is that people struggle to find the right balance be-tween working life and private life. I remem-ber you once said to me: “Sara, your job and your career are very important, but your private life is equally important. There needs to be a balance.” So what is your personal recommendation for maintaining a proper work-life balance?Galli Zugaro: I think we should strive to over-
come the apparent dichotomy between work
and life. Work is part of life. And if you re-
ally follow your calling, then you will get into
a job that fulfills your life and is part of the
fulfillment. What is really dangerous is when
you have a schizophrenic situation, whereby
your work is there to earn the salary, and life
is something different. So you hate your work
and then you come home where you try to lead
a different life. I think that leads to stress, that
leads to illness. If you want to sell something
and you’re not convinced of it, just don’t do it.
This is not the right job for you. So always find
the common sense and the reason, the spirit of
what your job entails. And this is the first step
to having a balanced life.
When you were young, did you have role models regarding your future career ambi-tions? And what or who was it that inspired you, or still inspires you?Galli Zugaro: When I started, I didn’t. I needed
the money and I just needed any kind of job.
At some point, I was 19, I was studying but I
needed to finance my studies, I had two job
offers. One was a salesman of dental products.
So, you know, tooth glues and whatever. And
the other one – being an assistant to a politi-
cian. The first job would have given me twice
the salary of the second job. And it was a dif-
ficult decision because, again, I couldn’t rely on
my parents to survive, so I needed every cent.
However, I decided in favor of the second one.
And I don’t regret it at all because this person,
who is still alive, he is a wonderful man, he was
the governor of Lombardy, he was a member of
the parliament, one of the founding fathers of
the Trilateral Commission. I learned so much
from him. And he became a role model after
all, but I didn’t start with: “I would like to work
for a charismatic personality.” “I would like to
survive,” that was the challenge that I had. I
would like to ask you whether you had a role
model when you entered your working life. Was
there something you were aspiring to?
I feel I don’t have one single role model. I feel that throughout my education and my career I have always been inspired by vari-ous people for certain specific things. And it could be anybody: other students who were making a difference by creating social impact without having a lot of means or politicians, authors, filmmakers or artists. It could be Helmut Schmidt, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, but at the same time it could be a young Chinese person fighting for disability rights in China. So I think it’s always that cer-tain persons inspire me for certain aspects, I don’t have a single role model for my whole life. It’s about meeting, talking and getting to know people who motivate and inspire you. Most of the time the best way to do this and to get inspired is through traveling and through your experiences abroad. Galli Zugaro: Wonderful. Continue traveling!
It keeps the mind open.
Interview by Sara-Sumie Yang (ASA 2006)
A video summary of the interview is available at www.kulturstiftung.allianz.de/european_connection
I think we should strive to over-come the apparent dichotomy between work and life
22
FEELING FOREIGN IN BOTH PLACES
Portrait of an Alumna
An American who has been fascinated by Europe since childhood, Lauren Schwartz has made the study of Germany her academic work and artistic work – and now, her daily life. Her passions, which are diverse themselves, bend boundaries. She works where politics meets art, where photography meets painting, where culture meets civics.
For Lauren Schwartz, of Allianz Summer Acad-
emy 2013, the boundary between politics and art
is a fluid one. As an artist as well as a scholar of
German legal history, she is fascinated by the con-
vergence of political and artistic life, especially in
German culture.
Lauren, who grew up in Michigan, USA,
works as a project assistant for the Allianz
Cultural Foundation in Berlin. Germany is a
country that has fascinated her since her teen
years and has now become a kind of second
home to her. While in university, she studied Ger-
man language and culture in Munich and in-
terned for the German government. She con-
fesses to feeling “somewhat foreign in both
places.”
to a legal rhetoric that codified the country’s
literary history as much as its governing rules.
For her bachelor’s thesis, Lauren examined lit-
erary influences on the German Basic Law. Her
sources ranged from giants of the canon to
stenographic reports via earlier German con-
stitutions to some “very bizarre subversive stu-
dent poets.” Her future ambitions include earn-
ing a master’s in fine arts as well as a law degree.
Her artwork reflects her fascination with Ger-
man history and history-makers, in addition to
the public and the private. Lauren works from
photographs that strike her, whether she finds
them in newspapers, discovers them in photo
albums or buys them at flea markets. In spring
2014 Lauren exhibited a series at Princeton
Lauren Schwartz at the Allianz Summer Academy 2014 in Budapest
“I feel European when I’m in the United States,
and I feel very much like an American when I’m
in Europe,” Lauren said.
While studying German literature at Princeton
University, Lauren became fascinated by Ger-
many’s long tradition of the “Schriftsteller-
Juristen” – writers who were trained in law. The
nation’s tradition of lawyers-turned-novelists,
including such canonical greats as Kleist,
Schiller, Büchner, Kafka, and Brecht, gave rise
Lauren seizes on the rare images that capture her imagination
23Portrait of an Alumna
University featuring portraits of women includ-
ing Angela Merkel, Hannah Arendt and her
own grandmother, painted with reference to an
old passport photograph.
Her portraits have “a photo-based, pop art
look,” she explains. She cites Andy Warhol as an
influence as well as artists from the German pop
movement, such as Gerhard Richter and Sigmar
Polke.
Lauren finds the fashion sense of political fig-
ures fascinating. What interests her “isn’t like a
Vogue magazine assessment of fashion,” she
explained. “It’s about power and its representa-
tion.” She continues that “there is something
very unassuming about the way Chancellor
Angela Merkel carries herself. There’s this ten-
sion there between her power and the absence
of fussing over her appearance that I found very
interesting.”
She continues to work on women intellectuals,
filling notebooks with sketches of Christine
Lagarde, Margaret Thatcher and Ayn Rand.
“With Arendt and Ayn Rand, it’s like, no one’s
IMPRINT ASAEUROPEAN
Chief Editors: Andreas Lorek, Nicolas ZahnEditorial Board: Stephanie Carstensen, Patience Haggin, Naďa Kovalčíková, Anna Lászlo, Andreas Lorek, Nicolas ZahnConcept Manager: Naďa KovalčíkováPicture Editor: Anna LászloContributors: Stephanie Carstensen, Patience Haggin, Naďa Kovalčíková, Anna Lászlo, Andreas Lorek, Andrew Sartorius, Hans Siglbauer, Sara Sumie-Yang, Nicholas Zahn Proofreader: Lisa WicklundPhoto Credits: Ctibor Bachraty (p. 5), Calé (Cover, p. 4, 6-7), Stephanie Carstensen(p. 3), Joanna Demarco (p. 24), Economic Forum (p. 10), Heide Fest (p. 11), Marie von Krogh (p. 24), Anna Lászlo (p. 3), Bernhard Ludewig (p. 2-3, 8-9, 12-15, 19, 22), José Sarmento Matos (p. 24), Bianca Mittermeier (p. 20-21), Ioana Puşcaş (p. 9), Lauren Schwartz (p. 23), Alexander Solovyov (p. 16-17), Mat Tyrrell (p. 2), Luca Vecoli (p. 18-19)
Publisher: Allianz Kulturstiftung, Pariser Platz 6, D-10117 Berlin Tel: +49 30 2091 5731-30 Fax: +49 30 2091 5731-40E-Mail: kulturstiftung@allianz.deLayout Concept: Double Standards, Berlin
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bothering to paint portraits of dead chain-
smoking twentieth-century female philosophers.
Why not, right?” she pointed out.
Lauren’s other favorite German-language writers
include Irmgard Keun, a novelist who chronicled
the young “new women” in the big cities of the
Weimar Republic in the late 1920s and early
1930s, Stefan Zweig and Wolfgang Koeppen.
Other artistic influences include Germans Gustav
Klimt and Martin Kippenberger, as well as Amer-
icans John Singer Sargent and Alice Neel.
In an age when we see hundreds of photographs
every day, Lauren seizes on the rare images that
capture her imagination, and lets them lead her
into a meditation on power, intellect and their
portrayal in the media.
“There has to be something arresting about the
photograph to make me put forth that work,”
she explained. “And then, because you have
stopped and made all these deliberate choices
in translating it, the end result is sort of
meditative.”
by Patience Haggin (ASA 2013)
Lauren’s self-portrait, alongside a Merkel portrait, in her studio
Please find the digital version for
browser, Android and iPhone at
www.kulturstiftung.allianz.de/en/alumni
“I feel European when I’m in the United States and very much like an American when I’m in Europe.” – Alumna Lauren Schwartz (ASA 2013) explains in her portrait written by Patience Haggin (ASA 2013) (p. 22–23)
In conjunction with the long-running series „The White Sea“, the photography exhibition „Sea Change” is running in the Literary Colloquium Berlin (LCB) until 30th April 2015: A captivating documentation of the unusual lives of young people from 13 European countries in the shadows of the financial crisis.
“Diversity can lead to an atmosphere of social trust and growth to attain peace and prosperity through respect for the differences.” – Naďa Kovalčíková (ASA 2009) writes about the experience at the Allianz Summer Academy (p. 12–13)
“Multiculturalism is at the very center of Europe and an essential part of our norms and values. It is up to us to prevent anti-immigrant thoughts from spreading and to protect and foster the tolerant Europe we know and live in.” – Stephanie Carstensen (ASA 2008) about the need of cooperation and tolerance for a peaceful coexistence in Europe (p. 7)
“Why talk about culture now? While it is undeniable that economics and politics are vital, the role of culture should never be underesti-mated.” – Nicolas Zahn (ASA 2013) discusses the challenges and chances of cultural diversity (p. 4)
“The term ‘multiculturalism’ prompts images of a racial utopia in which various cultural groups live side by side in harmony. This utopian dream has never truly existed in the U.S., but Americans have not abandoned it.”– Patience Haggin (ASA 2013) describes how multiculturalism works signifi-cantly differently in the U.S. than in Europe (p. 6)
“The underlying problem is probably not a general disinterest or a desire not to become involved with internal affairs of Ukraine but more the EU’s lack of awareness of its own direction.” – Hans Siglbauer (ASA 2013) comments on the EU’s role in the Ukraine conflict (p. 16–17)
“One key pillar is empathy and mutual respect. Without it, benefitting from cultural diversity seems almost impossible as there will not be any cultural exchange.” – Nicolas Zahn (ASA 2013) about how Allianz Alumni think about cultural diversity (p. 8–9)