Bucharest Forum is an annual high-level event organized by the Aspen Institute Romania and the Bucharest office of the German Marshall Fund of the US. Since its inception in 2012, the mission of the Bucharest Forum is to create a regional platform for forward thinking on economic and security policies and for promoting political dialogue between governments and the civil society.

Bucharest Forum offers a unique opportunity for high level East-West conversation in a global transformative context. Specifically it facilitates an in-depth understanding of how the developments on the Eurasian nexus shape decisions for Europe and the Transatlantic link.

The seventh edition of the Bucharest Forum takes place between 8 – 10 October, 2018, at critical times for the region and Europe.

The current international context is in flux, as on both shores of the Atlantic national politics is driven by new agendas and discourses, imprinting a consequent dynamics to international relations, and affecting economic trends at national, regional and international levels. Brought to the fore by grievances of a plurality of citizens who feel left out of mainstream politics and economy, the new political trend and its economic philosophy are generating antagonistic approaches and actions of various actors, leading to numerous clashes of interest, intention and outcomes. Indeed, the main feature of the current context is the numerous clashes being either in incubation phase or out in the open.

By bringing together leading politicians, thinkers, journalists, and business representatives, Bucharest Forum offers a platform for the various actors to meet and discuss their interests, approaches and goals, analyze potential and existing clashes, their implications and results, and look for ways to maximize the potential benefits of diverging views and mitigate the consequent negative impact.

Bucharest Forum enjoys the key support of:

Institutional Partners: Government of Romania, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Ministry of National Defence of Romania, Palace of the National Military Circle, Ministry for Business Environment, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, National Bank of Romania

Knowledge Partner: A.T. Kearney

Main Sponsors: Globalworth, NN, Raiffeisen Bank, Metropolitan Life, Mastercard

Sponsors: Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola HBC Romania, Banca Transilvania, BNP Paribas, Mol, ExxonMobil, Signify

Supporter: Aqua Carpatica

Media Partners: AGERPRES, Emerging Europe, RFI România, Caleaeuropeana.ro, Energynomics.ro

Readings:

Deloitte_Embracing the BRI Ecosystem

CSIS QUAD vs Maritime Silk Road

Heritage 2019_IndexOfUSMilitaryStrength_ABOUT_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY

How Turkey’s Ties to the West May Survive the Syrian War _ Crisis Group

White_paper_Circular_Economy_in_Cities_report_2018

 

Agenda

Preliminary Agenda

In the opening of the Bucharest Forum 2018, on October 8, AIR and GMF organize the Young Strategic Leaders Forum – Generation Next, a platform for discussion and a work group dedicated to young promising professionals of the Aspen and GMF Fellows and Alumni communities. The forum is designed to encourage strategic thinking and critical analysis, along with a better awareness on the current state of affairs and to strengthen the capacity of emerging leaders to understand multifaceted contexts, inspiring them to produce change.

October 8
Young Strategic Leaders Forum – Generation Next
(open to AIR&GMF community)

Location: Mitita Constantinescu Room, National Bank of Romania

13:00 – 13:45 Welcome & Registration

13:45 – 14:00 Welcome Remarks and Introduction
Mircea Geoana, President, Aspen Institute Romania

14:00 – 14:20 The challenges of multipolarity: United States, Europe, China
Dominique de Villepin, Former Prime Minister of France

14:20 – 15:00 Q&A Session

15:00 – 15:15 Coffee Break

19:00- 21:00 Opening Cocktail Reception (by invitation only)

 

October 9

Location: Marble Hall, Palace of the National Military Circle

8:30 – 9:00 Welcome & Registration

9:00 – 9:15 Welcome Remarks and Introductions
Mircea Geoana, President, Aspen Institute Romania

9:15 – 9:30 Keynote address
• Viorica Dancila, Prime Minister, Government of Romania

Setting the Stage – The rise of (Eur)Asia and the West: Collision, Collusion or Cooperation?

9:30 – 10:30 Cores and Peripheries in Europe: Is There a Future for the European Project?
The European project faces internal and external pressures and is in need to be adapted to both unexpected and predicted changes, demands and developmental trends. One of the most visible, if not the most important, rift within the Union is between core and periphery, both geographically, strategically and economically. Will this rift, together with the other forces, put an end to the project? Or can it be channeled towards increased coherence and further development?
• Baroness Denise Kingsmill CBE, Member of the House of Lords, Chair, Aspen Initiative UK
Franco Frattini, President, Italian Society for International Organizations and Special Representative of the OSCE, Chairperson-in-Office for the Transdniestrian Settlement Process
Jean-François Copé, Former Minister of the Budget, Mayor of Meaux, Lawyer at the Paris Bar
Moderator: Andrew Wrobel, Head of Editorial, Emerging Europe

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 12:00 America and Europe: Friends or Foes?
Never in the recent past has the Transatlantic relation been so threatened, and the two long term partners as divided, as today. A war of trade, words and actions divides the two sides of the Atlantic ocean, while the interests are, in fact, as convergent as ever. Will the two sides be able to rebuild the bridges? How many of these bridges will be burnt before? And is it, in a twisted way, the current cold relation a blessing in disguise for Europe?
Molly Montgomery, Vice President, Albright Stonebridge Group and Former Special Adviser for Europe and Russia, Office of US Vice President
Ivan Hodac, President, Aspen Institute Central Europe
Jean-Christophe Bas, CEO, Dialogue of Civilizations Institute (Berlin) and Member of the Executive Board, Aspen Institute France
Moderator: Andrea Shalal, Senior Correspondent, Reuters

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch Break

13:00 – 14:00 A New Stage in the Rise of Asia? BRI and the Indo-Pacific Community
Asia has been considered ‘The New Global Center of Gravity’ for some time, and particularly so due to its Southern and South-Eastern tiers, which are home to the world’s fastest-growing economies. One could say these areas also hold the key to global security – hence initiatives of global players greatly interested in regional leadership. Who will provide regional leadership and contribute to new norms and rules in the coming decades? What are the main challenges of this regional order in the making and what are its implications for Europe?
Viorel Isticioaia-Budura, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania and Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to Japan, European External Action Service
Alexander Downer, Executive Chair at International School for Government, King’s College London and Former Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Australian Government
Shotaro Oshima, Chairman at the Institute for International Economic Studies and Former Permanent Representative of Japan to the World Trade Organization, 2002 – 2005
Yuli Liu, Counselor from the European Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China
Moderator: Doru Costea, Member, Aspen Institute Romania Strategy Group, Former Ambassador of Romania to the People’s Republic of China

Setting the stage: Mega-trends Shaping Societies, Business and Politics
The world has become the scene of rapid changes and sudden developments, powered by the advancement of technology, yet (still) confused by a clash of cultures and civilizations. Business, politics and societies are large are all impacted and transformed in ways hard to imagine only decades ago, and further transformation awaits down the road. What are the trends that shape this transformation? Should we be afraid and fight (some of) them, or should we embrace the transformation and fuel further progress?

14:00 – 14:15 Setting the stage
Stefan-Radu Oprea, Minister for Business Environment, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Government of Romania

14:15 – 15:15 Moonshot #1: Metropolis – Big Cities: The Economics of the New Urban Era
Under the pressure of changes in the workforce, technological advancements and societal transformation, big cities (should) undergo a transformation of their own. A new urban era is taking shape, driven by demands and needs, but also forward thinking and innovation. What is the impact of these factors on big cities? How are they adapting?
Introductory Remarks
Bogdan Cojocaru, Minister of Communications and Information Society, Government of Romania

Philippe Delleur, Senior Vice-President Public Affairs, Alstom
Cristian Nacu, Senior Country Officer for Romania and Moldova, International Finance Corporation
Simona Neumann, CEO, Timisoara 2021 – European Capital of Culture
Dan Barna, President, Save Romania Union
Adrian Curaj, Former Minister of Education, Science and Innovation of Romania
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large for The Atlantic & editor of Atlantic Live

15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break

15:30 – 16:30 The Russia Factor – the Big Spoiler or a G8 Player?
Ten years ago Russia re-entered the world scene as an aggressive player with international ambitions, a posture it has retained and strengthened throughout the decade. Despite violations of international treaties and general disregard of international law, Russia is not seen as a foe by all other players, and there are numerous voices that ask for a more positive attitude towards Russia – ranging from easing the sanctions to bringing it back to the G8 group. Is Russia strong and important enough to be a G8 player? And if so, is it reliable enough? How much (more) damage can Russia do?
Cyryl Kozaczewski, Political Director, former Ambassador to Japan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
Oksana Antonenko, Director for Global Risk Analysis, Control Risks consultancy
Vladimir Socor, Expert in the ex-sovietic territory, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation
Yuliya Tychkivska, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Kyiv
Irina Zidaru, Minister Counselor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Moderator: Wojciech Przybylski, Editor-in-Chief, Visegrad Insight

16:30 – 17:45 Moonshot #2: Conversation on Women in Global Governance: Progress and Challenges
• Baroness Denise Kingsmill CBE, Member of the House of Lords, Chair, Aspen Initiative UK
Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar
Arielle Malard de Rothschild, MD & Vice-Chairman for Central and Eastern Europe, Rothschild Global Advisory
Simona Bot, M.D., Consulting Scientist, Multicell Technologies, Vice President Community Outreach, West Coast, Blue Heron Foundation
Amal Mohammed Al-Malki, Founding Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hamad bin Khalifa University
Moderator: Steve Clemons, Washington editor at large for The Atlantic & editor of Atlantic Live

19.00 – Power Dinner (by invitation only)
Human Kind – The Next Frontier
The most amazing thing about the future won’t be the spaceships, but the beings flying them.” Y.N.Harari
Aspen Dialogue – A conversation with:
Adrian Bot, M.D. Ph.D., Vice President, Translational Medicine Kite, a Gilead Company
Virgil Adumitroaie, Data Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA
Moderator: Samuel Burke, Business and Technology Correspondent, CNN

20:45 – Night Owl Sessions (Chatham House format)
Europe’s Unfinished Businesses

I. The Black Sea Area and its raising challenges
Location: Enescu II Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
The Black Sea area remains the scene of confronting geopolitical and military confrontation, while host of countries weakened by internal corruption, poor governance and conflicts. Closeness to Transatlantic and European institutions has brought about improvements and modernization, yet political developments are slow and painful. Russia and China have both major interests in the region, albeit different in nature and scope. Will the paradigm of the region ever change? And what would it take?
Vladimir Socor, Expert in the ex-sovietic territory, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation
Alexander Iskandaryan, Director, Caucasus Institute think-tank
Moderator: Larisa Rotaru Baltag, Program Coordinator, Bucharest Office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States

II. The Balkans today
Location: Enescu III Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
The Balkans remain a region divided by conflicts, fueled by both ethnicity, economic interests and geopolitical games. External actors have major influence in the region, as a whole, and in individual countries. Transatlantic and European institutions are only very slowly advancing in the region, which remains, overall, potentially explosive. How can the region become peaceful and stable, and how can positive political developments be brought about?
Natasha Vučković, Secretary General, Center for Democracy Foundation, Serbia
Alida Vračić, Director and Co-founder, Pupulari Think Tank, Bosnia
Moderator: Cristina Cileacu, Journalist, Digi24

III. The Middle East in Turmoil
Location: Vivaldi I Room, Athenee Palace Hilton
Oytun Orhan, Coordinator, Syria Studies Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies Turkey
Lolwah Rashid Al Khater, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar
Moderator: Doru Costea, Member, Aspen Institute Romania Strategy Group, Former Ambassador of Romania to the People’s Republic of China

October 10

Location: Marble Hall, Palace of the National Military Circle

8:30 – 9:00  Welcome & Registration

9:00 – 9:30  Conversation with:
• H.E. Teodor Melescanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Romania
Mihai Fifor, Minister of National Defense, Government of Romania
Moderator: Radu Tudor, Political and Defense Analyst

Setting the stage: The World at Crossroads

9:30 – 10:45  The European Security Vortex
The architecture that has ensured the European Security for the past 73 years is challenged by external actors, a weak Transatlantic relation, technological advancements and an expansion of military to hybrid warfare. What is the best way to address all these challenges and ensure the European security? How divisive is the issue to the European projects, and how threatening are the other divisive aspects of the project to European security?

Introductory Remarks
Nicolae Ciuca, Chief of the Romanian General Staff, Ministry of National Defence

Constantin Ionescu, State Adviser, Head of the Integrated Intelligence Office, Presidential Administration
George Ciamba, Secretary of State for Bilateral and Strategic Affairs for the Euro-Atlantic Area, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Sorin Ducaru, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Special Advisor, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace
Marta Dassu, Senior Director of European Affairs at The Aspen Institute and Co-chair at the Aspen Initiative for Europe
Fraser Cameron, Director, Board Member, EU – Asia Centre
Moderator: Radu Tudor, Political and Defense Analyst

10:45 -11:00  Coffee Break

Setting the stage: (De)globalization and Geo-economics

11:00 – 12:00  Moonshot #3: Technology Shaping Societies and Economies
This panel analyzes digital disruption and the Industry 4.0 world, looking at the effects of global trends such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, as well as automation and data exchange in manufacturing, from both a societal and economic point of view. A key focus will be placed on the opportunities and challenges that innovation pose for businesses and policy-makers globally, in the EU and in Romania.
Tyson Barker, Program Director, Aspen Institute Germany
Adrian Bot, M.D. Ph.D., Vice President, Translational Medicine Kite, a Gilead Company
Virgil Adumitroaie, Data Scientist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA
Bogdan Balaci, General Manager South East Europe, Signify
Moderator: Samuel Burke, Business and Technology Correspondent, CNN

12:00- 13:00 Trade Wars in the Era of Great Disruption
What scale for trade wars in the current interconnected world? How much of a threat represent trade wars today and is there any role for technological development in securing markets across the globe? Which perspective for both emerging and developed markets?
Ivan Hodac, President, Aspen Institute Central Europe
Shotaro Oshima, Chairman at the Institute for International Economic Studies and Former Permanent Representative of Japan to the World Trade Organization, 2002 – 2005
Guido Gianasso, Associate Dean and Professor in Global Leadership, Nanyang Business School, Singapore
Antal Lóránt, Senator, Parliament of Romania
Moderator: Roxana Voicu-Dorobantu, Associate Professor, Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE)

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 – 15:15 Financing in the New Economy
New economy is a generally describing high-growth industries that are on the cutting edge of technology and are the driving force of economic growth today. It is generally seen as a shift from a manufacturing and commodity based economy to one that uses technology to create new products and services. While the term „new economy” keeps popping up since the early ’90, there is an argument to be made in favour of current developments. On one hand, there is an increase in the use of disruptive technologies in economic sectors, and innovative solutions for financing are clearly paramount in this overall context. On the other hand, the institutional and regulatory are increasingly responsive to these new developments, and whether they are adequate or not, it is clearer than ever that the dialogue between the financing sector and the European and national regulators has to take place in a meaningful, considerate manner.
Matteo Patrone, Director for Romania, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Steven van Groningen, CEO & President, Raiffeisen Bank Romania, Member of the Board, Aspen Institute Romania
Joana Sanchez Klosinska, Director Public Policy, Europe and Responsible for Government Relations and Public Policy in CEE, Greece Cyprus and Malta, Mastercard
Florin Dragu, Chief of Service, Department of Financial Stability, National Bank of Romania
Moderator: Clara Volintiru, Associate Professor in the Department of International Business and Economics (REI), Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE)

15:15 – 15:30  Coffee Break

15:30-16:00  From Challenges to Opportunities: Romanian Presidency to the EU Council, a conversation with Victor Negrescu, Minister Delegate for European Affairs and Samuel Burke, CNN
2019 is the year of Brexit and of a new round of European elections. Romania will hold the Presidency of the European Union Council through these events, and will also inherit a number of difficult files. What are the opportunities of the first six months of next year? What can Romania hope for, and what can it accomplish? What can be inherited from previous presidencies, and what can be suggested further?

16:30 – 16:45  Closing Remarks