On 12 January 2023, The Bridge Tank had the pleasure of hosting a new edition of “The Bridge Tank Breakfast Series” around Mr Bernard Cazeneuve, former French Prime Minister.
This closed-door meeting brought together some twenty eminent French and international economic and political decision-makers to discuss subjects relating to the structuring of French political life and the major European and international issues.
Held at the Cercle France-Amériques, the session moderated by our board member Jean Bizet, former chairman of the European Affairs Committee in the French Senate, and Joël Ruet, President, The Bridge Tank and economist at the Ecole Polytechnique, addressed topics ranging from the changing French political landscape, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the security situation in the Sahel and the French position in the region.
Through exchanges with the participants, Mr Cazeneuve was also able to share his expertise and analyses on topics such as :
- The French-German relationship in terms of defence strategies and industries;
- The need to strengthen European cooperation on energy transition issues;
- The relationship between companies and citizens;
- The migration crisis and European policies on the issue;
- The importance of Africa in the French energy transition.
Numerous board members of The Bridge Tank joined in this exchange session, including
- Irina Bokova, Former Director General of UNESCO
- Mohamed Chaïbi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ciments du Maroc
- Christian Connan, Former Ambassador
- Hakima El Haite, President of Liberal International, Former Minister-Delegate for the Environment of Morocco
- Stéphane Gompertz, Former Ambassador and Director at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Guillaume Henry, President of the Association for the Ecological Study of Law
- William Nkontchou, CEO of AFIIP – African Financial Institutions Investment Platform
- Jean Pasternak, CEO Green Tie
This edition of the “Bridge Tank Breakfasts” also had the privilege of welcoming participants such as :
- Pierre Ducret, Former President, I4CE – Institute for Climate Economics – Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations
- Jean-Dominique Giuliani, President, Robert Schuman Foundation
- Sabine Lochmann, President ASCEND and member of the Strategic Committee of the Blue Like an Orange Investment Fund
- Sylvia Pariente, Director of the Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Department, DS & Associés
- François Quentin, Former DGA of Thalès, Former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Huawei France
- Claus Sorensen, Former Director General, Directorate General for Civil Protection and European Humanitarian Aid Operations of the European Commission (ECHO)
- Mehdy Taleb, Deputy Director General, APCO France
- Sylvianne Villaudière, Vice-President, Société d’Encouragement pour l’Industrie Nationale
- Marie-Laure Vercambre, Director General, French Water Partnership
- Teuta Vodo, Former Deputy Minister of Justice, Albania, Member of the Socialist International.
Inspired by the depth and quality of this dialogue session, The Bridge Tank intends to deepen and contribute concretely to some of the themes discussed, in particular the French-German relationship on defence strategies and industries, and the improvement of relations between France and Africa, in particular in relation to the challenges of energy transition and climate finance.
