On the 27th of February around 22 business-, state government-, university- and industry body representatives were invited to the Senate Room of the University of Western Australia to attend the Perth USAsia Centre “Private Roundtable” Discussion with the German Ambassador to Australia, Dr. Markus Ederer during his inaugural visit. WAGBA, represented by its President, Stephan W Kirsch, was graciously invited to contribute to the event.
The roundtable discussion kicked off following an introduction of Dr. Ederer regarding his professional vita and the agenda for his role in Australia. A wide range of topic were covered during the discussion, reflecting the diverse expertise and interests of the participants, including the energy transition to mitigate the ongoing climate change, particularly the exploration of the synergies between Australia and Germany in advancing hydrogen technologies, and ways to leverage these synergies for mutual benefit. The discussion also recognised Australia as a key partner for critical minerals and battery metals, which places the nation in a significant position in the global supply chain.
A key topic that arose within the roundtable talks, however, was regarding the global rules order, particularly geopolitical matters in relation to Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. This is in light of the increased engagement of European countries within the region in recent years, as part of their efforts to preserve the multilateral and rules-based approaches to both the regional and global order. As part of the discussion, Dr. Ederer also highlighted Germany’s role at the forefront of developing regional policy and shaping order in an increasingly intense region in the world, as it tackles geopolitical and geo-economic developments in the Indo-Pacific, including regional approaches to China.
The Private Roundtable was a highly informative and rewarding event for all attendees. Together they brought diverse voices and expertise to change notes on critical global challenges and foster meaningful bi-lateral dialogue dialogue between Germany and Australia. By means of Dr Ederer’s extensive knowledge and diplomatic acumen valuable insights into the potential synergies between the two nations were provided. Without any doubt this will contribute to paving the way for future bi-lateral collaborations. WAGBA is looking forward to continue the collaboration with Dr. Ederer and the German Ambassy in Canberra in the future.
Dr. Ederer's Profile:
Dr. Markus Ederer is the new Ambassador of Germany to Australia. He was previously Ambassador of the European Union to the Russian Federation (2017-2022) and State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office.
His career in the German Foreign Office started in 1990 when he was the Personal Secretary to Minister of State Helmut Schäfer. He then went on to Moscow where he served in the Economic Department of the German Embassy. In 1993 he returned to Germany where he served in the Press Department and later became Deputy Spokesperson for the German Foreign Office. In 2002 he became the Director of Political/Economic Assessment in the Federal Intelligence Service in Germany. Since then, he also held the position of the Ambassador of the EUropean Union to China and Mongolia in Beijing as well as the Head of Policy Planning in the German Federal Foreign Office.
