Welcoming remarks by Lord Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller,

City of Düsseldorf

 

with Rep. Joe Cunningham,

(D-SC, 2019-2021)

 

and Rep. Tom Graves,

(R-GA, 2010-2020)

 

and Anja Wehler-Schöck,

 

moderated by Dr. Cornelius Adelbahr,

Speakers-Pool Team EUROPE DIRECT of the European Commission

 

 

Congressman Joe Cunningham is a former U.S. Representative and political figure from South Carolina. His career in public service began when he was elected to represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in Congress – the first Democrat to win that district in almost 40 years. During his time in the House of Representatives, from 2019 until 2021, he served on the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and on Natural Resources. He was known for his advocacy on environmental issues, particularly offshore drilling, and his bipartisan approach to legislative work. Cunningham sought reelection in 2020 but was unsuccessful. He later ran for Governor of South Carolina in 2022 but was again defeated. Despite these setbacks, Cunningham remains an active voice in South Carolina’s political landscape. He practices law in Charleston. Before entering politics, Cunningham worked as an ocean engineer, lawyer, and business owner. He graduated from Lyon County High School in Eddyville, Kentucky, and later earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Atlantic University. He went on to pursue a law degree, receiving his J.D. from Northern Kentucky University in 2014.

 

Congressman Tom Graves served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than a decade, representing first Georgia’s 9th and later its 14th Congressional District. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee in the House, overseeing more than a trillion dollars of annual spending, he has an excellent understanding of the complexities of government funding, operations and the agencies at the forefront of change. As Vice Chairman of the Special Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, he led the effort to modernize one of the nation’s oldest institutions. While representing one of the most Republican districts in the country, he was also respected for his bipartisanship. Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, Graves was a Member of the Georgia House of Representatives, a real estate investor, and a small business owner. He currently serves as a Member of the Board for Nuclear Matters and of the Former Members of Congress (FMC) and was formerly an ABC News Contributor. As a north Georgia country boy, his life has been fueled by one slogan his father shared with him: Dream Big, Work Hard, and Achieve Much.

 

Anja Wehler-Schöck is the International Editor of the German newspaper Tagesspiegel and member of its Editorial Board. In 2022, she founded the paper’s international affairs desk, which she subsequently headed until the end of 2024. She is a frequent commentator on international affairs, European politics, transatlantic relations and security policy. Prior to that, she served as editor-in-chief of IPG Journal, a debate forum for international and European policy. Previously, she worked as Political Counselor at the German Embassy in Washington, DC and headed the Amman office of the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) as Country Director for Jordan and Iraq. From 2005 to 2007, she served as Adjunct Lecturer at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. She holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Sciences Po in Paris, France and the Free University of Berlin.

 

Dr. Cornelius Adebahr is an independent political analyst and consultant specialising in European and global affairs. Since 2000, he has worked with German and international think tanks, government institutions and foundations, including the German Council on Foreign Relations, the Hertie School in Berlin and Carnegie Europe in Brussels. His expertise in European foreign policy and transatlantic relations has been shaped by periods spent working and living abroad in Sarajevo, Tehran, Washington and Rome. Alongside contributing commentary to print media and television, he also engages in public dialogues and other interactive formats. He studied political science, philosophy, public law and international economics in Tübingen, Paris and Berlin. He graduated with a degree in political science from Freie Universität Berlin in 2001 and completed his doctorate in 2008.

 

 

The event will be held in English.

 

Tickets are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We kindly ask you to only reserve the number of tickets that you will definitely use.

 

You do not need to print out your Eventbrite ticket. The name under which you reserved your tickets will suffice to enter.

 

This event is held in cooperation with Europe Direct Düsseldorf, the City of Düsseldorf, and the Association of Former Members of the U.S. Congress. It is kindly supported by the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia.