MEDIA ADVISORY

Germany After the Elections: Impacts and Implications
York Centre for German and European Studies Hosts Panel of Experts on what Schr–eder's Victory Means for Canada

TORONTO, September 29, 1998 -- The German elections, which saw Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his Christian Democratic Union Party go down to defeat against Social Democrat rival Gerhard Schr–eder, will be the topic of a roundtable discussion featuring York University Professor and election observer Mark Webber, Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Hosted by The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies at York University, the breakfast discussion will include an array of expert panelists who will comment on how this new era in German politics will affect Canada.

WHO:
Mark Webber: The 1998 German Federal Elections: An Overview

Prof. Mark Webber co-directs The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies at York University. In 1993 he received the Officer's Cross of the Federal Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany for his contributions to mutual understanding between Germany and Canada. Webber was the sole Canadian to be invited by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) to be an election observer for the 1998 Federal Elections and will offer an analysis as well as a first-hand account of the German Elections.

Frank Unger: Impact on Foreign Policy

Prof. Frank Unger, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, is an expert on East-West relations and on comparative North American-German issues. Unger taught at the Institute for International Politics and Regional Studies at the Free University of Berlin, and was the acting director of the Institute for Political Science at the Humboldt-University (in former East Berlin). He will comment on the impact of the elections on Germany's foreign policy.

Kurt H¸bner: Implications for International Trade

Prof. Kurt H¸bner, a visiting Professor of German Studies at York University, is an economist and political scientist specializing in the impact of globalization on the German economy and East-West relations. H¸bner will comment on the implications of the election results on foreign trade.

Volker Gransow: Summary and Critical Reflections

Prof. Volker Gransow is a visiting Professor of Political Science at York University where he also teaches in the Schulich School of Business's International MBA program. An expert on the former German Democratic Republic and on German unification, he has taught at Stanford, Berkeley, and the University of Toronto. Gransow will provide a critical analysis of Germany's political future.

WHEN:
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 1998
7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

WHERE:
University Club of Toronto
380 University Avenue

The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies is a Canada-wide research and teaching resource, focusing on contemporary Germany in its European context. Established in 1997, the Centre is a cooperative initiative of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), l'UniversitČ de MontrČal, and York University.

*PLEASE NOTE: Webber and others are available for interviews by contacting The Canadian Centre for German and European Studies, (416) 736-5695.

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For more information, please contact:

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087
email: sinem@yorku.ca

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
email: kturriff@yorku.ca
YU/065/98