Brief outline

Founding of the European Movement Youth Office, with the aim of encouraging young people throughout the continent to help construct a democratic and peaceful Europe. National offices were founded in all democratic states in Western Europe. The German office was headed by Berthold Finkelstein. 1951 is regarded as the founding year of the Gustav Stresemann Institute.

The German office was transformed into an institute for supranational education and European cooperation. This institute was named in honour of the statesman and Nobel Peace Prize winner Gustav Stresemann, who dedicated his life towards working for peace and European cooperation, thus becoming known as the Gustav Stresemann Institute – GSI. The first chairman of the GSI was Berthold Finkelstein, who headed the institute until 1996.

The GSI moved into its own building in Bergisch Gladbach – House Lerbach – with conference rooms and hotel rooms for guests staying overnight. Over the coming years, the facility expanded. Known as the “Lerbach European Academy”, it gained itself a reputation for being a leading educational centre in Germany.

The training centre in Lerbach closed, and a new and larger conference centre opened in Bonn.

The GSI in Bonn grew to be a number one venue for political education (European Conference & Training Centre in Bonn) and an accredited conference centre with hotel (3-star superior). During this time, the institute was headed by retired secretary of state Dr Klaus Dieter Leister. Managing director was Ursula Meister.

After Dr. Klaus Dieter Leister and Ursula Meister left the GSI, Dr Ansgar Burghof was appointed the new director.

In 2014, the General Meeting appointed a new executive board: Chairman of the board is now Dr. Erik Bettermann, former director general ; his deputies are the former Minister of Justice and Finance for North Rhine-Westphalia, Prof. Jochen Dieckmann, and Dr. Franz Schoser, former managing director of the DIHK.