The Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum is a strategic convening at a multiregional intersection not only of geographies but also of economies and political spectrums. The Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum offers a flagship public diplomacy event where global leaders engage with the Black Sea area and beyond, bridging Trans-Atlantic conversations and creating a process of reflection on the region and its impact within the international agendas.

Our era is marked by two congruent revolutions: Digital and Green. These two synergetic trends are challenged by the need to re-industrialize and to develop traditional technologies, and by the current geopolitical turbulent context that weakens customary supply chains. While these challenges and tensions are widely felt, they are more evident in the proximity of the two major armed conflicts, in the Black Sea region and in the Middle East, where the link between geopolitics, economy and security is most evident. At its 13th edition, the Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum will analyze these momentous changes, as well as the social disruptions and political backlashes that have ensued today as a result of these revolutions and the intrinsic tensions. The Forum will focus on both the opportunities and challenges the Green and Digital Revolutions provide in changing the paradigm when it comes to industry, finance and consumer behaviors. The Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum will continue to focus on the geopolitical and economic shifts impacting our societies and shaping our economies and security. Against a background of unprecedented new technologies, revolutionary transformations are already modeling our future. Given the interconnectedness of today’s global affairs, the Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum will approach all major trends in energy, technology, finance, as well as the all-grounds’ implications of the War in Ukraine, the intense political polarization across Europe, and perspectives for transatlantic relations in the context of US elections.

Standing at a unique intersection of geographical, economic and socio – cultural crossroads, the Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum is a key platform for engagement. A gateway between the West and the East, Romania and its region also bridge multiple geopolitical contexts and economic corridors at its North and South, East and West. As such, these will be reflected by the Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum in a two-day program, built as an extraordinary public platform presenting an opportunity to interact with a wide range of stakeholders and facilitating otherwise highly complex dialogue, drawing on a long-standing tradition and expertise, with its first edition dating back to 2012. Building upon successful past editions, this year’s Aspen-GMF Bucharest Forum will reunite once more world-famous leaders, remarkable thinkers, policymakers, private and public sector experts, media representatives and journalists in a two-day conference consisting of various formats and engaging a diverse audience.

A strategic platform for the EU, NATO, and Trans-Atlantic relations, the Aspen – GMF Bucharest Forum is geographically placed in the vortex of events and offers a unique opportunity for dialogue in a key geopolitical area of the world.

The current strategic landscape is shaped by various complex and interrelated threats and opportunities in politics, technology, and economics, which will be reflected in the Forum’s agenda. Some of the main topics to be debated in this year’s edition include:

◼ The green economy and green energy transition – a paradigm shift for industry, finance and consumers?

◼ Addressing the digital divide: ensuring nobody is left behind by the digital revolution

◼ Digital vs analog – what works for re-industrialization?

◼ The reconstruction of Ukraine and the role of CEE countries

◼ Democracy in a technological world – how to fight the erosion of democratic norms and populism

◼ Is New Tech changing geopolitics?

◼ Investing in dual-use technologies: maximizing benefits for military & civilian innovation

◼ The wider Black Sea region – economic resilience or powerhouse?

◼ Unleashing the potential of AI to drive innovation and economic growth

◼ What future for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)?

◼ Cyber resilience, security, and defense

◼ Venture capital and regional start-ups

◼ The growth of financial markets in Central and Eastern Europe

◼ Countering disinformation and misinformation and deterring against hybrid warfare

◼ The resilience of global flows and regionalization of chains of production

◼ A green defense industry?