Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation – invited participants to take part in a further event as part of the series Forum Bellevue on the Future of Democracy at Schloss Bellevue on Monday, 29 June.

The ninth event in the Forum Bellevue series was entitled "Coronavirus as a test case – how is our democracy faring?" Together with his guests, the Federal President would examine the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic is posing for democracy in Germany in particular and democracy in general and how these developments can be harnessed to strengthen democracy.

The Federal President held discussions on this topic with Herta Müller (author and Nobel Literature Laureate), Rainer Forst (Professor of Political Theory and Philosophy at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main) and Daniel Ziblatt (Eaton Professor of the Science of Government at Harvard University).

The Federal President had decided to continue his dialogue format despite the restrictive protective measures imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike in the past, however, he was unable to open up the Forum Bellevue to a larger audience on site. However, in order to contribute additional perspectives to the panel discussion, the Federal President invited further guests to take part in the discussions. Alongside Elke Büdenbender, Marylyn Addo (Professor of Emerging Infections and Head of Infectious Disease at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf), Heinz Bude (Professor of Macrosociology at the University of Kassel), Anna-Bettina Kaiser (Chair for Public Law and General Jurisprudence at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and Elisabeth von Thadden (journalist, literary scholar and non-fiction author) contributed their perspectives on the coronavirus crisis.

The Federal President and his guests explored the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the state of our democracy and what conclusions can be drawn from this for the future. In what way is democracy proving its worth in the COVID-19 pandemic – in Germany and elsewhere? What, for example, can it do in the here and now to counteract possible social upheavals? How can it promote solidarity and renewal in action? What can and should we learn from this, also with respect to the importance of the public sphere for democracy? Moreover, how do the discourses within the European Union and internationally differ? Finally, has the crisis triggered a process of self-reflection about our liberal way of life and our democracy itself? Does the current situation offer an opportunity to revitalise democracy as well as confidence in democracy?

The event was broadcast via livestream.