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Consular Conversations: OTP Germany
Wednesday, January 29
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Facing its second year of economic decline, and with its premier automakers struggling with high costs, reduced demand in foreign markets and uncertainty around energy sources, Germany is in a precarious position as it approaches snap elections this month.
Tackling questions head-on, Consul General Melanie Moltmann described how Germany entered this fraught political moment with a no-confidence vote for SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz, what Germans make of Elon Musk’s support for the anti-euro and anti-immigrant party AfD, and how she reads the war in Ukraine as a fluent Russian speaker.
She also saw reasons for optimism in this moment of potential reform, laying out the extensive German cultural and investment footprint in Georgia and the Southeast and highlighting opportunities for exchanges of students in universities and technical colleges. Seeing ongoing promise in the market where Georgia’s European office is based, Gov. Brian Kemp was in Germany on a trade mission the week before the event took place.
This Consular Conversation set a record for attendance, with more than 100 registrants. It was presented and hosted by the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce and Partnership Gwinnett. Miller & Martin PLLC was the sponsor.
Key Takeaways:
- In sponsor remarks, Miller & Martin’s Tom Harrold explained how the Coke brand Fanta was born from the need to switch production lines away from classic Coca-Cola during World War II. “What do we call it? Well, it’s fantastic, so let’s call it Fanta.” (Miller & Martin incorporated some of the earliest Coke bottlers in the South).
- German automakers thrive in the Southeast, with OEM factories in Alabama (Mercedes-Benz), Tennessee (Volkswagen) and South Carolina (BMW) and headquarters of major brands (Mercedes and Porsche) in Atlanta. Some of the largest recent investments in the state are in other areas like medical devices (Gerresheimer) and smelting (Aurubis). Gwinnett County is home to 95 locations of German-affiliated companies.
- In the wake of terror attacks, German opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the Christian Democratic Union is (on questionable legal grounds) threatening the imposition of permanent border controls, which could spell the end of the Schengen Area, the zone of free movement that encompasses 29 countries and sits at the heart of the European Union project.
Organized By:
Sponsored by:
Hosted by:
Speakers
MODERATOR:
Trevor Williams,
Managing Editor, Global Atlanta
FEATURED SPEAKER:
Melanie Moltmann,
Consul General of Germany in Atlanta
OPENING REMARKS:
Nick Masino,
President and CEO, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
SPONSOR REMARKS:
Tom Harrold,
Miller & Martin
“I’m not a businesswoman, but what we need is a reliable situation, a reliable environment where companies can plan and work on their restructured processes.”
—COnsul general Melanie Moltmann, on the tumult on the road to EV transition with the Trump administration’s plan to roll back Biden-era incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act
(Re)live the Moment: Multimedia
Video
Full Event (Members Only):
The Dean Rusk International Law Center at the University of Georgia is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's Diplomacy Channel. Subscribe here for monthly Diplomacy newsletters.