Traditional Annual Goose Dinner / XXIX Berlin Global Forum

The annual goose dinner took place this year on November 15 in the Berlin International Club. Global Bridges had the honor of receiving Baroness Pauline Neville Jones DCMG, member of the British House of Lords, for a second time as the guest speaker for the evening. Her speech addressed the question, “Where is Brexit Britain going?” which was followed by an interactive question round.

Baroness Neville Jones spoke about her take on the current political situation in the UK and about the status of the Brexit negotiations, as well as addressed possible solutions for revoking the agreement. The key points can be summarized as follows:

While the rights of non-EU citizens and the exit costs are difficult but solvable problems, the pressing question is the complexity of the shared border with Ireland.

The true impact and aftermath effect that Brexit will have on the nation are currently being heavily discussed, as these concerns were not considered until after the vote to leave was cast in June 2016. Recently, support for a closer connection and stronger ties to the EU is on the upswing: in order to help encourage this position, it is vital that other EU-members do not give Great Britain the impression that punishment should ensue as retaliation for the Brexit decision.

During the celebratory evening, Dr. Beate Lindemann announced that diplomat, entrepreneur, and former British Minister, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, will be joining Global Bridges as a member of the Global Bridges International Advisory Board.