Bertelsmann Foundation

Bertelsmann Foundation   (Neoliberal lobby group)
Motto	Inspiring People. Shaping the Future.
Founder	Reinhard Mohn
Headquarters	Gütersloh, Germany
Type	Foundation
Member of	Centre for European Policy Studies/Corporate Members, European Policy Centre, Friends of Europe
Sponsor of	Atlantic Council
Sponsored by	King Baudouin Foundation, Mercator Foundation, Open Society Foundations
Membership	•  Werner J. Bauer •  Liz Mohn •  Wolf Bauer •  Philipp Rösler •  Thomas Buberl •  Ralph Heck •  Wolfgang A. Herrmann •  Christoph Mohn •  Carolina Müller-Möhl •  Viviane Reding •  Jürgen Stark

The Bertelsmann Foundation (German: Bertelsmann Stiftung) is one of the most influential neoliberal think tanks in Germany. It propagates the privatization of public policies and promotes competition at all levels of society.

History

The Foundation was in 1977 founded by Reinhard Mohn, the patriarch of the huge media corporation Bertelsmann Group (which includes such brands as Penguin Random House). In 1993 he transferred the majority of the share capital of the Bertelsmann Group to the foundation. As a result, Mohn saved his wife Liz Mohn and his children Christoph and Brigitte about two billion euros in inheritance tax. Another advantage of this structure is that the group cannot be sold to third parties, but - thanks to the Bertelsmann Foundation and other legal structures - remains in the hands of the Mohn family.

With the help of the foundation, Reinhard Mohn's ideas are spread to German society. The Bertelsmann Foundation advocates more competition and more efficiency within the state sector, such as higher education or the health sector. At the same time, the foundation is committed to more private civic engagement. Among other things, through studies and foundation-related organizations, it influences the public discourse.

Methods

The foundation regularly has a impact on public debates through various projects. This is achieved, for example, through the numerous studies that are published by the foundation or institutes commissioned by it and that are given broad media coverage.

The foundation also contacts political decision-makers directly, for example at seminars such as the International Bertelsmann Forum or the annual Bertelsmann Party. A paper by the foundation states: "it [the Bertelsmann Foundation] should also develop its ability to advise political decision-makers directly"

It finances several think tanks, like Centrum für angewandte Politikforschung(CAP);Centrum für Hochschulentwicklung (CHE) to influence the school system;Centrum für Krankenhausmanagement (CKM) to influence hospital and health policies;and Bertelsmann Wissenschaftsstiftung for economic and social research.

 

Known members

8 of the 20 of the members already have pages here:

Member	Description
Kurt Biedenkopf	West German politician "parachuted" into the former East Germany to lead the state of Saxony.
Franziska Brantner	German super-militarist Green politician.
Elmar Brok	lobbyist and European parliament politician, MSC regular
Thomas Buberl	German poly-Bilderberg money manager, WEF AGMs, WEF YGL 2008
Liz Mohn	German billionaire businesswoman friend of Angela Merkel
Viviane Reding	As EU Commissioner for Justice stated that the EU should create its own intelligence service
Philipp Rösler	German Minister of Health from 2009 to 2011, during which time he was selected Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. After he left the party in 2013 when it failed to get into parliament, he became Head of the Centre for Regional Strategies of the World Economic Forum. Klaus Schwab said at the time: "We had observed this young man for a while and realized that he would be the right one for us."
Jürgen Stark	"Chief economist" of the European Central Bank for some years

 

Sponsors

Event	Description
King Baudouin Foundation	The Belgian royal family, which made its fortune from hand-chopping in the Congo and created the first stooge NGO the International African Association, feels the urge finance new ventures. Coordinates with of a number of similar foundations owned by billionaires or NATO countries , financing select projects.
Mercator Foundation	German foundation financing projects of deep state interest and buying control over the narrative, especially on "climate change" and pro-migration. Frequently connected to censorship initiatives.
Open Society Foundations	A NGO operating in more countries than McDonald's. It has the tendency to support politicians (at times through astroturfing) and activists that get branded as "extreme left" as its founder is billionaire and bane of the pound George Soros. This polarizing perspective causes the abnormal influence of the OSF to go somewhat unanswered.

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References

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