From June 22-24, 2015, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in partnership with the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Institute and the OCP Policy Center hosted a meeting of the Atlantic Strategy Group in São Paulo, Brazil. The theme of the conference was “The Atlantic: A More Diverse, Dynamic, and Competitive Arena.”

The meeting brought together senior policy, business, and civil society leaders from Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, Africa, the United States, and Europe to discuss the shape of what is to come in critical areas such as sustainable agriculture and food trade, energy, trade and investment, geopolitics and governance—and how their respective interests may overlap, intersect, or clash.  

The program included remarks by President Cardoso, former president of Brazil and José Manuel Barroso, former president of the European Commission, both of whom engaged directly in debate throughout the meeting.  ASG also benefited from the expertise of senior panelists from the private and public sectors of countries across the Atlantic basin, including Dr. Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, former Senegalese foreign minister, Ambassador Celso Lafer, former Brazilian minister of foreign relations, Aziz Mekouar, Senior Fellow, OCP Policy Center and former Moroccan ambassador in Washington, and Karim El Aynaoui, Managing Director, OCP Policy Center and advisor to the CEO and Chairman, OCP Group.  Other participants included senior representatives of the European External Action Service, senior European academics and forecasters, heads of major Brazilian companies and several other former Brazilian ministers.