IE University has hosted the 2024 edition of the Transatlantic Bridge Strategic Foresight Workshop, a highly significant academic event jointly organized by IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, the Jackson School of Global Affairs at Yale University, the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins (SAIS), and the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po (PSIA).
Following the success of the Transatlantic Conference 2023, the Foresight Workshop has become a crucial component of the Transatlantic Bridge alliance, an initiative that brings together four prestigious academic institutions in the pursuit of rigorous analysis and policy recommendations on transatlantic affairs.
The workshop, which boasted a distinguished audience of personalities and experts from both European and North American spheres, was opened by Manuel Muñiz, Provost of IE University and Dean of IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs, the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, H.E. Julissa Reynoso, and special guest Cecilia Malmström, former EU Commissioner for Trade and Home affairs. All of them emphasized the importance of building bridges for dialogue and transatlantic collaboration in times of uncertainty and technological change.
After the opening, a panel on “Evolving Alliances: Transatlantic Relations in a Super-Electoral Year,” followed. It featured prominent experts such as Ruth Bajada from the European External Action Service (EEAS), Max Bergmann from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), David McKean, former United States Ambassador to Luxembourg, and moderated by Dr. Ilke Toygür, Director of the Global Policy Center at IE School of Politics, Economics, and Global Affairs and professor of Geopolitics of Europe.
“We are entering a moment of big change in the relationship. Electoral periods are periods of adjustment and change. We need to be ready for what is to come and guarantee that fundamental elements of the transatlantic relationship are kept in place and thriving” Ilke Toygür, Director of the Global Policy Center at IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs.
The sessions that took place throughout the following day engaged scholars from the four partner schools, as well as experts and policymakers, on an analysis of the potential impact of the 2024 elections in the United States and the European Parliament. These sessions included a foresight exercise, where four crucial policy areas were addressed: Foreign Policy, Security, and Defence; Environment, Energy, and Industrial Policy; Trade, Technology, and Innovation; and Democracy, Human Rights, and Rule of Law.