Between 2017 and 2022, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation – hosted a series of events: "Forum Bellevue on the Future of Democracy". The gatherings were held on a regular basis and included discussions between the Federal President and a panel of German and international participants from the spheres of science, politics, culture, business and civil society.
The "Forum Bellevue" series was designed to address controversial issues and present new perspectives. It was a platform for candid discussions on how liberal democracy can succeed – and how it is being challenged. The Federal President and his guests examined various issues, including the effects of the digital transformation, what impact demographic change is having on society’s ability to innovate, the crisis of representative democracy, the role of religion in social and cultural conflicts, and the question of how much inequality democracy can cope with.
