Körber Foundation

The Körber Foundation is a nonprofit organization, established in 1959 by German businessman Kurt A. Körber. It provides a platform to discuss present political topics and develops operational projects on social and political issues. Its agenda is focused on key areas of European foreign policy in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS. The foundation pursues this agenda with four discussion fora: Bergedorf Round Table, Körber Dialogue Middle East, Political Breakfasts, and Körber Network Foreign Policy.

The organization has its headquarters in Hamburg and maintains an international relations department in Berlin. Since the death of the company founder in 1992, it is the sole shareholder of Körber AG.

Chaired by former German president Richard von Weizsäcker, the Bergedorf Round Table is a confidential, two-day gathering with around thirty participants that is held three times a year. Since 1961 it has promoted international dialogue between the realms of politics, science, business and society, focussing on the dialogue between policy-makers, diplomats and experts in international relations. More than 2,000 politicians and experts – among them Pope John Paul II, Vladimir Putin, Helmut Kohl and Helmut Schmidt – have participated at one or more of 139 Bergedorf Round Tables.

Except for short statements to kick-off the discussion, participants do not report prepared speeches, but intervene spontaneously. The discussions take place at venues where the topic under discussion is immediate and tangible. Participants come from Germany, other member states of the EU, from the US and from the region which is concerned. Following the conference a summary is sent to the participants and foreign policy-makers. Every Bergedorf Round Table is published as a protocol in German and English. To ensure confidentiality, the participants edit their contributions before publication.

Three times a year, the Körber Dialogue Middle East provides a platform for multilateral discussions on topical issues of foreign and security policy in the Middle East. Around ten foreign policy experts from the EU, the US and the Middle East hold discussions and formulate policy recommendations. The inclusion of Iranian representatives into these discussions is given particular importance. The conference venue is either Istanbul or Berlin.

...
Wikipedia