Atlantik Brücke Annual Members Meeting
Berlin, June 9, 2008
Ambassador William R. Timken, Jr. 

Dr. von Weizsaecker,
Dr. Lindemann,
Members of the Atlantik Brücke,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends, 

It is a great pleasure to again address your annual meeting.  It gives me the opportunity to thank you for your commitment and support to the German-American partnership.  It is hard for Sue and me to believe that we have been in Berlin for almost three years.  Even harder to know we will depart at the end of the year.   We came at a time of transition in the transatlantic relationship.  The proceeding 3 years had been difficult.   

In his Second Inaugural address, President Bush said very clearly: "All the allies of the United States can know we honor your friendship and we rely on your counsel."   The President's words defined his instructions to me in 2005 as Ambassador, namely, to build on and improve the bilateral relationship between our nations -- first, based on the improved relationship that President Bush established at the beginning of his second term when he met Chancellor Schroeder in Mainz; and then, on the common ground that Chancellor Merkel and President Bush very quickly found after her election.  Their close relationship is one of the factors that paved the way for the stronger and more concerted transatlantic action that we have achieved in the past couple of years.  


Chancellor Merkel’s language of common purpose – of a strong Europe in partnership with America – is the reality of our cooperation today.  We no longer hear voices calling for a strong Europe as a counterweight to U.S. economic, political and military power.  We are on the same team.  The transatlantic community has pulled together to face serious common challenges.  Our relationship is not just about Europe; it's about what we do together in the world.  During and immediately after the Cold War, all the big strategic challenges that we faced were anchored in Europe and Eurasia.  It was challenges such as the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, and the integration of Central and Eastern Europe.  We had to overcome a divided Europe.  It was natural that the United States worked very closely with the Europeans on all these issues. 

Today we work with Europe on truly global strategic and economic challenges, rather than simply European-centric ones.  In the face of a shrinking world, transatlantic institutions that served us well in the past have been radically transformed.  We have found new ways to move forward.  NATO is a prime example of that transformation.  

But there is another aspect to the reality of the transatlantic relationship and that is: the U.S.-EU relationship is richer, more diverse and more productive than at any time before.   I agree with Daniel Hamilton and Joseph Quinlan from the Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University.  Their center does a great job at documenting economic integration between the United States and Europe.    Hamilton has said that one of the most insidious deficits affecting the transatlantic partnership is not one of trade, values or military capabilities but rather a deficit in understanding the vital stakes Americans and Europeans have developed in the joint success of their economies and their societies.  I agree.  I believe that most people on both sides of the Atlantic fail to comprehend this critical fact. 

Take a look at the German-American economic relationship and it becomes very obvious that since reunification business has exploded.  Today the U.S. and Europe produce 60 % of the world's gross domestic product. Bilateral investment is one dramatic indicator of our interdependence.  In 2006, U.S. assets in Germany totaled over $400 billion and German assets in the U.S. were even larger (over $600 Billion).  Today they are even greater. In fact, U.S. assets in Germany are greater than total U.S. assets invested in all of South America. 

Similarly, the importance of the United States as an investment destination for German capital cannot be overstated.   The American Chamber of Commerce estimates that more than one-third of Germany's direct and indirect foreign investments are in the United States.  We are German businesses # 1 investment target.  Germany is our second most important investment target.  This economic partnership contributed to making reunification a success.  Since reunification, U.S. FDI in Germany has more than tripled while German investment in the U.S. is roughly seven times what is was when the Wall fell.  Three hundred U.S. companies have invested in the former eastern states, making the United States the top foreign investor there.   
 

In fact, Germany is our most important trading partner within the EU.  In 2007, the U.S. imported $94 billion worth of goods and services from Germany and exported nearly $50 billion worth of goods and services to it.  There is no question that China and India's economies are growing fast.  Yet Germany trades far more with the United States than it does with China and India put together!    The strong historical, commercial and family ties between Germany and Turkey are well-known.  Yet both Bavaria and Baden-Wuertemberg each trade even more with the United States than all of Germany does with Turkey.  Indeed, Bavaria, Baden-Wuertemberg, as well as Berlin, all count the United States as their top export market.  The U.S. ranks among the top five export markets for 13 German states.    

This deep economic integration plays out strongly at the Embassy and our Consulates.  The U.S. issued more than 14,000 business and investor visas to Germans last year.   More than 1.5 million visits by Americans to Germany were counted last year. Germans visiting America accounted for roughly the same number.  2006 figures show these visits generated almost $10 billion in tourism trade.  

Investment, trade and tourism all mean jobs.  At least 1.5 million jobs and approximately 7,000 companies in both countries depend directly on our relationship.   Our economic fortunes are tightly intertwined. 

Our military alone is a substantial employer in Germany. Counting all branches of our military and Pentagon civilian employees, the U.S. has nearly 73,000 Americans stationed in Germany.  We estimate that the total economic impact of this presence is more than $3.5 billion a year.  Tens of thousands of jobs for Germans.  


As stated earlier, nobody knows the true scope of our economic interdependence because comprehensive statistics and facts have never been completely compiled.  We, at the U.S. mission, are currently making the attempt to do so.  By this fall, we expect to have a story that will simply surprise everyone.  As the American electronic media say:  "Stay tuned." 

The impact of the German-American relationship goes beyond economics.  Educational and professional exchange programs are very important.  The numbers are impressive.  For example, more German high school students participate in U.S.-based exchanges than any other nationality.  Germany is also the top-ranked destination for U.S. high school students.  But the bottom line for exchange programs is the added value in terms of lasting relationships. 

We are trying to build on the wonderful connections that result from exchange experiences with our Windows on America program.   The program reaches out to immigrant communities, giving young people who have no opportunity to participate in existing exchange programs, the chance to visit the United States.  Windows on America projects are financed by German and American companies, foundations and private sponsors -- including the Atlantik Brücke, through its Youth for Understanding initiative. 

Thank you for very much for your support -- not just for Windows on America -- but also for a range of initiatives that foster German-American dialogue.   It is quite easy to see that the inter-country human interaction caused by the actions of the private sector has the potential to overwhelm the more static official government exchange programs.  We could not hope for a better scenario.   As former President Bush said, in describing the Atlantik-Brücke, "Bridges don‘t just appear – they need to be artfully designed, carefully built, and constantly maintained." The Atlantik Brücke does that development and maintenance work for the bilateral relationship.   Over the years, your programs for young leaders have brought the different players in our partnership together to listen and profit from each other’s point of view. 

This year, we are opening a new chapter in the unique story of German-American cooperation.  We have just moved into our new Embassy, returning to our pre-World War II location on Pariser Platz beside the Brandenburg Gate.   I think of this as the closing of a cycle that extended back to the time when we were enemies at war, through the long Cold War years of division, the process of unification to the state where we are today as global partners.  Our new Embassy is not just another building.  It demonstrates the continued commitment of the United States to partnership with the nation of Germany and the people of this country.   

Your organization has always done, and continues to do a fabulous job to provide that great bridge between the people of our two countries.  You have willingly carried this trusted role through good times and bad times.  You are true friends of America.  I have looked upon my opportunities to address you as a privilege.  I expect this will be my last such opportunity. I want to thank you all for your support and open friendship.  I also want to report that we believe the U.S.-German bilateral relationship, in light of today's world, is the strongest we can imagine.  

Tomorrow, once again, President Bush will be here to sit with his global partner, Chancellor Merkel.  Our discussion list of global issues is long.  Our government officials are in constant dialogue and communication at all levels.  This is partnership working.  I totally disagree with some of the thoughtless media coverage and politically motivated statements to the contrary.  

Now with our new embassy, our recent acquisition of our existing facility on Clayallee, our new consulate in Frankfurt as well as upgrades to our existing consulates, we have the physical assets to support these personal relations well into the future.  A solid platform has been built for future administrations.  

Finally, our actual economic relationship and the benefits to our citizens far exceed our imagination and expectation.  Politicians should be aware of this reality. We all have good reason to be optimistic tonight! 

Vielen Dank.