Charlotte, NC
May 1-3, 2019
For our eighth stop of “Across the Pond, In the Field,” the CNAS and GMF teams were on the road again in Charlotte, North Carolina.
We brought with us His Excellency Dirk Wouters, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United States; and Caroline Vicini, Deputy Head of Delegation of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.
Welcome Dinner
We kicked off the trip with a welcome dinner with the Honorary Consul of Germany, Klaus Becker, where we learned about the history of transatlantic ties to Charlotte.
Bridging the Atlantic for a More Prosperous Region
The next day, the team headed to K&L Gates for a lunch discussion titled “Bridging the Atlantic for a More Prosperous Region” and co-hosted with the Centralina Council of Governments. The conversation covered many dimensions of U.S-EU foreign policy and trade relations.
Meeting with Mayor of Charlotte
Next, we met with Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles to discuss her priorities for the future of Charlotte.
Discussion with Local Business Leaders
Then, we headed to the Foundation for the Carolinas (FFTC) for a discussion with local business leaders to discuss transatlantic trade in Charlotte. We concluded our time at FFTC with a discussion with the FFTC Executive Director Brian Collier, who shared his important work to close the inequality gap in Charlotte.
Panel Discussion Dinner
The night ended with a panel discussion and dinner hosted by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte on the future of the U.S.-European relationship. We welcomed locals and students from around the region for what was a lively discussion on great power competition and the foreign policy issues most important to residents of North Carolina today.
Meet The Panel
H.E. Dirk Wouters
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United States of America
Dirk Wouters was appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to the United States of America in Washington DC from September 2016.
Caroline Vicini
Deputy Head of Delegation, Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Prior to joining the Delegation, Ms. Vicini served as Chief of Protocol, with the rank of Ambassador, at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, Sweden.
Jamie Fly
Senior Fellow and Director, Future of Geopolitics, Asia Program
The German Marshall Fund of the United States
Jamie Fly is a senior fellow and director of the Future of Geopolitics and Asia programs at The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF). He also works with the Alliance for Securing Democracy at GMF. He served as counselor for Foreign and National Security Affairs to Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) from 2013–2017, serving as his foreign policy advisor during his presidential campaign.
Dr. Andrea Kendall-Taylor
Senior Fellow and Director, Transatlantic Security Program, CNAS
Andrea Kendall-Taylor is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Transatlantic Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.
Finally, the trip concluded with a meeting with Duke Energy and Joules Accelerator on Friday morning where we learned more about Charlotte’s steps toward a more energy efficient economy, and their work with multiple states around the nation on energy issues today.
We enjoyed meeting with everyone and hearing about the foreign policy issues of importance to North Carolinians. We’re excited to head to Denver, CO in September!
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