The Bilderberg Group is probably the world’s most secretive meeting involving high-powered politicians, businessmen and people in power that gather to discuss the world’s events, trends and future on a global scale.
Formed in 1954, the Bilderberg Group is a three-day summit held every year usually in secretive luxurious mansions, castles and deluxe hotel suites throughout Europe. We’re talking highly powerful people with global influence here, not puppets you’d see on the news talking about boring foreign policy. The Bilderberg Group create foreign policy.
So who attended the 2014 summit on May 29th? How about the heads of M16, NATO, the International Monetary Fund, Chairmans of HSBC, Shell, BP and Goldman Sachs. Throw in a few players from the Federal Reserve, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and the Queen of Spain and you’ve got yourself enough pomp to steer the world in any direction.
The group has come under constant criticism of never sharing what’s discussed behind closed doors. The group has a very brief micro-site which offers little in terms of an explanation of what goes on, however they DO publish a list of topics of the agenda for each meeting every year.
The key topics for discussion for 2014 were:
- Is the economic recovery sustainable?
- Who will pay for the demographics?
- Does privacy exist? (Interesting that this is being discussed given Zuckerberg and Schmidt being at the meeting hmmmm?)
- How special is the relationship in intelligence sharing?
- Big shifts in technology and jobs
- The future of democracy and the middle class trap
- China’s political and economic outlook
- The new architecture of the Middle East
- Ukraine
- What next for Europe?
- Current events
Ukraine / Russia conflict
GAZA / Israel renewed conflict
This group has admitted to discussing ‘Megatrends’ that the world is facing. What next for Europe? How about Ukraine? What about global intelligence sharing? The new architecture for the Middle East? C’mon’, these are huge topics that the world is albeit struggling with yet a handful of the world’s elite ponder over each night in warm beds in six star opulent hotels.
Check the caliber of the steering committee…
Bilderberg Chairman:
Henri de Castries
Chairman and CEO, AXA Group
DEU | Ackermann, Josef | Former CEO, Deutsche Bank AG |
GBR | Agius, Marcus | Non-Executive Chairman, PA Consulting Group |
USA | Altman, Roger C. | Executive Chairman, Evercore |
FIN | Apunen, Matti | Director, Finnish Business and Policy Forum EVA |
PRT | Balsemão, Francisco Pinto | Chairman, Impresa SGPS |
FRA | Baverez, Nicolas | Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP |
ITA | Bernabè, Franco | Chairman, FB Group SRL |
NOR | Brandtzæg, Svein Richard | President and CEO, Norsk Hydro ASA |
ESP | Cebrián, Juan Luis | Executive Chairman, Grupo PRISA |
CAN | Clark, W. Edmund | Group President and CEO, TD Bank Group |
BEL | Davignon, Etienne | Minister of State |
DEU | Enders, Thomas | CEO, Airbus Group |
DNK | Federspiel, Ulrik | Executive Vice President, Haldor Topsøe A/S |
NLD | Halberstadt, Victor | Professor of Public Economics, Leiden University |
USA | Jacobs, Kenneth M. | Chairman and CEO, Lazard |
USA | Johnson, James A. | Chairman, Johnson Capital Partners |
GBR | Kerr, John | Deputy Chairman, Scottish Power |
USA | Kleinfeld, Klaus | Chairman and CEO, Alcoa |
TUR | Koç, Mustafa V. | Chairman, Koç Holding A.S. |
USA | Kravis, Marie-Josée | Senior Fellow and Vice Chair, Hudson Institute |
CHE | Kudelski, André | Chairman and CEO, Kudelski Group |
USA | Mathews, Jessica T. | President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |
ITA | Monti, Mario | Senator-for-life; President, Bocconi University |
USA | Mundie, Craig J. | Senior Advisor to the CEO, Microsoft Corporation |
USA | Perle, Richard N. | Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute |
CAN | Reisman, Heather M. | Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc. |
AUT | Scholten, Rudolf | CEO, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG |
IRL | Sutherland, Peter D. | Chairman, Goldman Sachs International |
USA | Thiel, Peter A. | President, Thiel Capital |
INT | Trichet, Jean-Claude | Honorary Governor, Banque de France; Former President, European Central Bank |
GRC | Tsoukalis, Loukas | President, ELIAMEP |
SWE | Wallenberg, Jacob | Chairman, Investor AB |
USA | Zoellick, Robert B. | Chairman, Board of International Advisors, The Goldman Sachs Group |
From the Bilderberg official website on the purpose of the group: “Every year, between 120-150 political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia and the media are invited to take part in the conference. About two thirds of the participants come from Europe and the rest from North America; one third from politics and government and the rest from other fields.
The conference is a forum for informal discussions about megatrends and major issues facing the world. The meetings are held under the Chatham House Rule, which states that participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s) nor of any other participant may be revealed.
Thanks to the private nature of the conference, the participants are not bound by the conventions of their office or by pre-agreed positions. As such, they can take time to listen, reflect and gather insights.
There is no detailed agenda, no resolutions are proposed, no votes are taken, and no policy statements are issued.”
So is The Bilderberg’s intentions sinister or something else? Does this group really hold the future direction of the world in its grasp? One thing we do know is that we’d love to be a fly on the wall during one of these meetings, that’s for sure.