The ASPEN EUROPEAN STRATEGIC FORUM is a collaborative platform aiming to respond to evolving security threats and contribute to a stronger, more secure Europe, amidst geopolitical uncertainty. By applying the Aspen Method, the Forum aims to strengthen the strategic culture within European security and defense communities, anticipate defense transformations, and empower decision-makers with a unique platform to enhance regional and European security and stability through clear policy recommendations and solutions. 

This inaugural edition, taking place in Bucharest in September 2025, will initiate an annual rotation among co-organizing partners, fostering continued dialogue and contributing to enhanced defense capacity and the diffusion of new perspectives and solutions for the CEE region. Located at the crossroads of Europe, Bucharest offers a unique starting point to examine the European dimension of global disruptions and to facilitate a broader, inclusive dialogue, capitalizing on the distinguished expertise and impactful networks of the co-organizing institutes. 

Co-organizers: Aspen Institute Romania, Aspen Central Europe, Aspen Kyiv, Aspen Italia, Aspen France, Aspen Security Forum 

In a time of evolving geopolitical uncertainty, the ASPEN EUROPEAN STRATEGIC FORUM will convene leading thinkers and decision-makers from public, private, non-governmental, and academic sectors, focusing on areas at the intersection of security and defense. This high-level platform is designed to facilitate crucial conversations and develop concrete recommendations to address pressing issues and strengthen European strategic resilience. 

BACKGROUND

The current challenging and increasingly tense geo-political and geo-economic context require new tools and improved collective responses. The international landscape is marked by a proliferation of actors, with tremendous shifts in the global order, and a growing array of geopolitical, economic, and security threats. Systemic rivalry and the race for power are now the backbone of international relations, with deep and long-term implications in technology, economy and especially in security. 

The war in Ukraine revealed the vulnerabilities of European defense and, perhaps even more so, a fragile equilibrium in the current context. The deindustrialization in the field of defense in the period that followed the Cold War, the lack of an integrated planning of armaments production and, in general, the military relaxation of Europe was part of the logic of a peace that was expected to be permanent. The re-evaluation of the security posture imposed by the current international context implies not only a redefinition of Russia’s threats but also of the European defense capacity. Europe is now forced to adapt both its security posture and its own defense capacity, in accordance with the efforts of the other NATO member countries and, in general, of Europe, but also considering its own interests and challenges.

 

Download the Agenda HERE