Aspen Institute Romania organized a closed-door webinar for key decision-makers on Geopolitical Trends and Impact on Business: The Pandemic’s Effects on Security and Global Value Chains. The webinar took place on Thursday, 25 June, between 15:30 – 17:00 Bucharest time / 14:30 – 16:00 CEST, under the aegis of the Aspen Dialogues Series and the Aspen National Security & Defense Program.

The webinar engaged Mr. Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General and Founding President of Aspen Institute Romania (AIR), and Ms. Adina Vălean, EU Commissioner for Transport, in a discussion moderated by Daniel Badea, Aspen Institute Romania Board Member and Managing Partner, Clifford Chance Badea. The discussion was followed by a moderated Q&A session with participation of a selected group of key decision makers.

The conversation approached the future of security and resilience from the perspective of states and international organizations, focusing also on how to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the backbone of the European economy, the transport sector, and to use the future multiannual financial framework (MFF) as a key instrument to support a lasting recovery. The importance of trade, global value chains and transport & mobility in today’s globalized world was highlighted, with an emphasis on the need to adapt to security constraints while developing a comprehensive strategy for safe, sustainable and smart European mobility, ensuring a transport sector fit for a clean, digital and modern economy.

Organized under the aegis of the Aspen Dialogues Series and the Aspen National Security & Defense Program, the webinar addressed the future of security, in the context of the global crisis created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, has become clear that the concept of security has evolved from a narrow understanding, based on protection from military threats. Given recent developments, health security issues or aspects related to resilience-building in the face of global threats such as pandemics, will determine the agenda for many years to come. At the same time, policy recommendations for achieving a sustainable balance between security needs and the relaunch of economic activities, trade and mobility within and across societies are strongly needed.