Politics Germany's President opens Munich Security Conference
Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open this year's Munich Security Conference (MSC) with an assessment of the foreign and security policy situation.
14.01.2025, 14:11
SDA
"We live in uncertain, polarized times. It is a great honor to welcome the Federal President back to Munich after 2020," said the outgoing chairman of the conference, Christoph Heusgen. The start of the conference offers the opportunity to find solutions to the numerous conflicts around the world in line with the aim of the conference - "peace through dialog".
61st Security Conference from February 14 to 16 at the Bayerischer Hof
The 61st MSC will take place from February 14 to 16, 2025 at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich's city center. It is not yet known which heads of state and government will all be coming to Munich this year. What is clear, however, is that both the federal elections in Germany, which are due a week later, and the consequences of the new government being formed in the USA with Donald Trump's second term as president will have a major impact on the conference. According to the MSC, "hundreds of decision-makers and opinion leaders from different regions of the world" are expected in Munich.
Future of the transatlantic partnership
In 2017, after Trump's first election, then US Vice President Mike Pence outlined the new US foreign policy and the future of the transatlantic partnership in Munich. At the time, he delivered Trump's message that the USA would continue to stand by Nato. This question is still on the table this year. Only recently, Trump had called for the NATO states to increase their defense spending, describing five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) as appropriate.
Topics range from crises and wars to the future of AI
Other important topics will include the many international crises, the wars in Ukraine and the difficult situations in Israel and Syria. According to the information provided, the global financial architecture, the resilience of democracies, climate change, nuclear security and the future of artificial intelligence will also be discussed. This will be Ambassador Heusgen's last MSC as Chair - he will officially hand over the reins to his successor Jens Stoltenberg on the last day.
Ministerial conference on terrorist financing
One day before the conference begins, a ministerial conference on combating the financing of terrorism will also take place in Munich, chaired by Germany's Finance Minister Jörg Kukies. The presentation of the annual defense innovation report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is also likely to attract a great deal of interest. The report highlights the fact that defense ministries have fallen behind in achieving their goals. The analysis is based on surveys of 59 defense ministries, NATO and the EU.
