User:LSE German Symposium

= LSE German Symposium = The LSE German Symposium is student-lead conference at the London School of Economics and Political Science organised by the LSE German Society and held once a year. Having been founded in 2002, it is the oldest and largest student-lead conference of its kind with over 1500 participants and around 50 speakers every year.

The symposium gathers German and Germany related leaders from socio-economic, cultural, business and academic fields to discuss current issues relevant to Germany. By encouraging a discussion between all participants of the symposium, whether it be speakers or students, the aim is to establish an enlightening debate on Germany and its role within Europe and the World.

Some former speakers
-      Martin Blessing

-      Rainer Brüderle

-      Joschka Fischer

-      Joachim Gauk

-      Valéry Giscard D’Estaing

-      Thomas Gottschalk

-      Gregor Gysi

-      Heinrich Hiesinger

-      Otmar Issing

-      Joe Kaeser

-      Jens Lehmann

-      Mervyn King

-      Norbert Lammert

-      Angela Merkel

-      Rudolf-August Oetker

-      Wolfgang Schäuble

-      Olaf Scholz

-      Harald Schmidt

-      Gerhard Schröder

-      Peer Steinbrück

-      Ursula von der Leyen

-      Hans-Joachim Watzke

LSE German Symposium 2018
The guiding motto for the 2018 German Symposium, was „Rethinking Europe“. Under this motive, complex themes such as Germany‘s role in the European cohesion, Germany‘s position towards the economic and political environment in Europe and worldwide but also topics ranging from the new European direction taken after the Brexit vote to the impact of digital innovations (ex. Fintech and block chain on the established markets) were discussed. Some notable speakers that participated in the 2018 Symposium were, Ursula von der Leyen, Hans-Joachim Watzke, Brigitte Zypries, Bernd Lucke and Ferdinand Kirchhof.

LSE German Symposium 2017
The guiding motto for the German Symposium 2017 was „Risking Transition”. It served as a springboard to launch into detailed discussions on a variety of current affairs. Transition in the political, business and cultural landscape is the all-pervasive feature of our time. The kind of transition we witness today is faster than ever before. Countless opportunities await. However, transition also involves risk – changing the status quo is always a leap into the unknown. The concepts of ‘transition’ and ‘risk’ hence allowed us to explore the many current events shaping Europe, ranging from the new Anglo-German relationship in a post-Brexit environment, Germany’s role in Europe and the global economy, as well as the impact of disruptive technologies on various European markets. In 2017 some of the speakers participating include Gregor Gysi, Dorothee Blessing, Heinrich Hiesinger, Guenter Butschek and Sabine Lautenschläger.

LSE German Symposium 2016
In 2016, the chosen guiding question for the German Symposium was Henry Kissinger’s famous quote: ‘Poor old Germany – too big for Europe, too small for the world?’. The Symposium hosted Olaf Scholz, Peter Frey, Rainer Brüderle, Margret Suckale, Otmar Issing, Mervyn King and Wolfgang Schäuble amongst others.