The Club of Three

Nearly twenty years after its inception, the Club of Three, initiated by Lord Weidenfeld, continues to serve the Institute's founding purpose of bringing together men and women of influence in the fields of politics, business and the media from the UK, France and Germany. The Club of Three's annual Plenary Meetings are designed to foster a forthright exchange of views on the challenges of our time in a discreet and trusting environment that continues to nurture critical relationships and encourage the testing of important new ideas at the highest levels.

Over time, the Club of Three spawned a number of off-shoot initiatives and special sessions, designed to address a particular threat or challenge: from one-off sessions on demography, the future of European welfare or Europe’s policies vis-à-vis the Balkans and Eastern Europe, to regular sessions on Intelligence, the Arts and Culture, and European Defense cooperation that were run over the course of many years.

Since 2009, the Club of Three has increasingly operated as a form of European ‘contact group’ engaging key strategic global partners. In 2009, ISD focused on ‘The Three and America’ whilst the 18^th Plenary session in Berlin in 2010 was entitled ‘The Three and China’. In 2012, ISD continued this engagement by hosting the Club of Three and China: China-Europe Beijing Forum. As is evidenced by these developments, the Club of Three continues to nurture critical relationships today and to encourage the exchange of important new ideas.