08:00 – 09:30 Registration
09:30 – 09:45 Official opening
(Open session – press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomat” Venue]
09:45 – 10:15 Panel I. 2026 – Black Sea in Focus: Expectations from the Upcoming Bucharest 9 and NATO Summits
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomat” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Ionel NIȚU, President, New Strategy Center, Romania
10:20 – 10:50 Panel II. The War in Ukraine and the impact on the Europe and Black Sea Security in partnership with Körber Foundation, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Ms. Alisa VOGT, Programme Director International Affairs, Körber Stiftung, Germany
- H.E. Ms. Oana ȚOIU, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Mr. Géza Andreas VON GEYR, State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office, Germany
- Ambassador Mehmet Kemal BOZAY, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey
10:50 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:05 Main Partner Business Presentation – Lockheed Martin, USA
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
11:05 – 11:40 Panel IIIa. From the Strait of Hormuz to the Ankara Summit. The Transatlantic Link Under Pressure – in partnership with Atlantic Council, USA
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Alexandru ȘERBAN, Atlantic Council, Romania
- Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben HODGES, Member of the International Advisory Board of the New Strategy Center, former Commander of US Army Europe, USA
- Ambassador Tacan ILDEM, Chairman, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Türkiye
- Lieutenant General Eric PELTIER, Deputy Director, General Directorate of International Relations and Strategy, Ministry of Armed Forces, France
- Mr. Glen HOWARD, President, Saratoga Foundation, USA
11:05 – 11:40 Panel IIIb. Frozen Peace or Fair Peace? Scenarios for Ending the War in Ukraine – in partnership with Elcano Royal Institute, Spain
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Radu TUDOR, Journalist, Antena 3 CNN, Romania
- Mr. Charles POWELL, Director, Elcano Royal Institute, Spain
- Admiral (ret.) Igor KABANENKO, former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Mr. Kiril PETKOV, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Mr. James CARAFANO, Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, USA
11:00 – 11:40 Panel IIIc. The Frozen Conflict in Transnistria and the Impact on Black Sea Security
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Mr. Tudor CURTIFAN, Editor in Chief, Defense Romania
- Mr. Iulian GROZA, Executive Director, Institute for European Policies and Reforms, Republic of Moldova
- Ms. Luminița ODOBESCU, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Major General (ret) Volodymyr HAVRYLOV, former Deputy minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Ambassador Victor JACKOVICH, CEO of Jackovich International, former US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, USA
- Mr. Radu BURDUJA, Executive Director, Euro-Atlantic Institute for Building Resilience, Republic of Moldova
11:00 – 12:15 Panel IIId. Air and Space Battlefield: How We Can Create our A2/AD Umbrella? The Future of Integrated Defence – in partnership with the National Defence University, Romania
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Viorel PANĂ, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Lieutenant General Leonard BARABOI, Chief of Air Forces, Romania
- Major General (ret) Volodymyr HAVRYLOV, former Deputy minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Mr. Oleksandr DANYLIUK, President, Destinus, Ukraine
- Mr. Hendrik PHILLIPS, Air Defence International Sales Director, Airbus Defence and Space, Germany,
- Mr. Harald AARØ, Executive Vice President Business Development and Strategy, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS, Norway
11:40 – 11:50 Break
11:50 – 11:55 Main Partner Business Presentation – OMV Petrom, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
11:55 – 12:40 Panel IVa. Unlocking the Black Sea: Offshore Energy Resources and the Future of European Supply – in partnership with Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Türkiye
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Adrian MĂNIUȚIU, Journalist, Romania
- H.E. Bogdan IVAN, Minister of Energy, Romania
- Ambassador Lazăr COMĂNESCU, Secretary General, Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Ambassador Tacan ILDEM, Chairman, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Türkiye
- Mr. Alexandru MAXIMESCU, Vice President, OMV Petrom, Romania
- Mr. Vladimir MALINOV, Executive Director and Member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian gas transmission system operator Bulgartransgaz, Bulgaria
11:50 – 11:55 Main Partner Business Presentation – Erbașu Constructii, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
11:55 – 12:40 Panel IVb. Challenges and Opportunities in the Reconstruction of Ukraine: Romania’s Role in this Strategic Project – in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Stefan HOFMANN, Head of KAS office in Bucharest, Germany
- Mr. Mihai JURCA, Special Envoy for Ukraine’s Reconstruction, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Romania
- Mr. Ionel SCRIOȘTEANU, State Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Romania
- Mr. Igor BURAKOVSKY, Head of Board, The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Ukraine
- Mr. Cristian ERBAȘU, CEO, Erbașu Construcții, Romania
- Mr. Sebastian METZ, CEO, AHK Romania, Germany
11:55 – 12:40 Panel IVc. Rare Earths Black Sea Region Potential and the Strategic Impact at Global Level – in partnership with Energy Policy Group, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Radu DUDĂU, President, Energy Policy Group, Romania
- Mr. Paul COYER, Research Professor, The Institute of World Politics, USA
- Mr. Sebastian BURDUJA, former Minister of Energy, Romania
- Mr. Ivan US, Senior Consultant, Foreign Policy Center of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine
12:40 – 12:50 Break
12:50 – 12:55 Main Partner Business Presentation – Romanian Commercial Bank – BCR, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
12:55 – 13:50 Panel Va. Investments in the Blur Security Environment. Challenges and Opportunities – in partnership with the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Cristian HOSTIUC, Editorial Director, Ziarul Financiar, Romania
- H.E. Alexandru NAZARE, Minister of Finance, Romania
- Ms. Anca DRAGU, Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Romania
- Mr. Bogdan CERNESCU, Managing Director, Head of Corporate Banking, Romanian Commercial Bank, Romania
- Ms. Susan E. WALTON, Senior Advisor New Markets – Global Risk and Resilience, US
- Mr. Mihai DARABAN, Chairman, Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Romania
12:55 – 13:50 Panel Vb. The Danube Corridor: Strategic Artery for Infrastructure and Security in Europe – in partnership with Pupin Initiative, Serbia
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Ion IONIȚĂ, Senior editor Adevărul Newspaper, Romania
- Mr. Wilfried JILGE, Senior Adviser Ukraine and wider Black Sea, Stabilisation Platform, Germany
- Mrs. Simona COJOCARU, Director, Defence Policy, Ministry of Defence, Romania
- Mr. Ivan US, Senior Consultant, Foreign Policy Center of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine
- Mr. Vuk VELEBIT, President, Pupin Initiative, Serbia
12:50 – 13:50 Panel Vc. Land Forces in the Era of Drones and Loitering Munitions
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Mr. Robert HAMILTON, President, Delphi Global Research Center, USA
- Gl.Bg. FLORESCU Virgil-Nicu, Commander Of The Land Component Command, Romania
- Mr. Andriy SIRKO-GALOUCHENKO, expert on UAV development for military applications, founder of the UAV Forum, Ukraine
- Representative of Hanwha, South Korea
- Mr. Costică POSTOLACHE, Deputy General Director for Business Development, Interactive Romania
13:50- 15:15 Lunch
15:20 – 16:20 Panel VIa. Power, Pressure, and Succession: Exploring Russia’s Leadership Scenarios
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Cosmin IONIȚĂ, Lecturer, Faculty of History, University of Bucharest, Romania in a dialog with Mr. Mikhail KASYANOV, Russian opposition politician, former Prime Minister of the Russian Federation (2000-2004)
15:20 – 16:20 Panel VIb. Enlargement Meets Geopolitics: The Accession Process of Ukraine and Moldova and the Western Balkans Experience – in partnership with Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Italy
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Ambassador Oana Cristina POPA, Distinguished Fellow, German Marshall Fund, Romania
Keynote speaker: H.E. Mr. Igor GROSU, President of the Parliament, Republic of Moldova
- Mr. Matteo BONOMI, Senior Fellow, EU, politics and institutions programme, Instituto, Affari Internazionali (IAI), Italy
- Mrs. Svitlana KOVALCHUK, Executive Director, Yalta European Strategy, Ukraine
- Mr. Aleksandar PEJOVIC, Course Chair at the Institute of European Studies, University of Tirana, former Minister of European Affairs of Montenegro and Chief Negotiator, Montenegro
- Mr. Antun DUJMOVIĆ, Expert Advisor at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Croatia
15:20 – 16:30 Panel VIc. Sea Denial and Anti-Access in Confined and Shallow Waters. Creating a Robust Coastal Defence Using Lessons from Ukraine
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Rear Admiral (Ret.) Liviu COMAN, Senior Associate Expert, New. Strategy Center, former Commander of Maritime Component Command, Romania
- Vice Admiral Mihai PANAIT, Chief of Naval Forces, Romania
- Admiral (ret.) Ihor KABANENKO, former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Captain(Navy) Alexander DUBNITZKI, Division Head Maritime Strategy and Policy, German Navy Command, Germany
- Mr. Oscar ROJAS, President, Global Operations, Ocean Aero, USA
16:20 – 16:30 Break
16:35 – 17:30 Panel VIIa. From the Gulf to Global Security: The Iran War’s Shockwaves – in partnership with Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), USA
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomat” Venue]
Chair: General (ret.) Daniel PETRESCU, Member, International Leadership Council, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), Romania
- Mr. Mohammed ALSULAMI, President, International Institute for Iranian Studies, Saudi Arabia
- Mr. Paul COYER, Research Professor, The Institute of World Politics, USA
- Mr. Jean-Marie BOCKEL, former Minister of Commerce, France
- Mr. Ken ENDO, Professor in the Department of Politics at the School of Law, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Mr. Marios P. EFTHYMIOPOULOS, CEO, Strategy International, Cyprus
16:30 – 16:35 Main Partner Business Presentation – Rheinmetall, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
16:35 – 17:30 Panel VIIb. Warfighting Readiness: From Factories to Frontlines. The Impact of SAFE Programme – in partnership with Defence 24, Poland
(Open session – press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Piotr MAŁECKI, CEO, Defence 24, Poland
- H.E. Mr. Irineu DARĂU, Minister of Economy, Romania
- Mr. Nicolas ZIPPELIUS, Member, Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, Bundestag, Germany
- MG (Ret.) Volodymyr HAVRYLOV, former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Speaker from Rheinmetall, Germany
- Éric HUBER, Vice President Surface Radar Business Line, Thales Group, France
16:30 – 17:30 Panel VIIc. War, Weather and the World’s Breadbasket. Black Sea’s Role in Food Security Amid Conflict and Climate Stress – in partnership with University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV), Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Mr. Teodor TRAȘCĂ, Vice-Rector, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (USAMV), Romania
- Mr. Igor BURAKOVSKY, Head of Board, The Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Ukraine
- Mr. Richard WILCOX, Director, Private Partnerships, World Food Programme, Germany
- Mr. Jean VALVIS, CEO, Valvis Holding, Romania
- Mr. Florian CIOLACU, Executive director, Romanian Farmers Club, Romania
17:30 – 17:40 Break
17:40 – 18:30 Panel VIIIa. Decoupling or Deepening? The future of America and Europe Relations in the Era of Pragmatism – in partnership with Hudson Institute, USA
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Matthew BOYSE, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, former Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for Central Europe at the State Department, USA
- The Honorable Roger WICKER, Chairman, Committee on Armed Forces, USA (via VTC)
- Ambassador Wolfgang ISCHINGER, President of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Council, Germany
- Mr. Michele VALENSISE, President, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Italy
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, former DSACEUR, UK
17:40 – 18:30 Panel VIIIb. From the Levant to the Black Sea: Strategic Reverberations of Middle East Crises – in partnership with Candid Foundation, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Ambassador Doru COSTEA, member of the Scientific Council of the New Strategy Center, former ambassador of Romania to Cairo, Romania
- Mr. Titus CORLĂȚEAN, Chair, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senate, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Mr. Daniel GERLACH, Director, Candid Foundation, Germany
- Ambassador Tacan ILDEM, Chairman, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Türkiye
- Mr. Ariel EZRAHI, Head of Energy, Climate & Special Initiatives at New Vest, Israel
- Mr. Jamal NUSSEIBEH, Board Member, Middle East Policy Council
18:10 – 19:30 Panel VIIIc. Russia’s Military Transformation and Modern Warfare – in partnership with New Geopolitics Research Network, Ukraine
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Rear Admiral (LH) (Ret.) Iuri-Alexandru COVALEOV, Senior Associate Expert, New. Strategy Center, former Deputy Chief, Military Intelligence Directorate, Romania
- Major General (Ret.) Paul HURMUZ, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Major General Constantin NICOLAESCU, Chief of Staff, NATO Multinational Corps South-East, Romania
- Brigadier General Daniel COCOLICI, Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence Directorate, Romania
- Mr. Robert HAMILTON, President, Delphi Global Research Center, USA
18:30 – 18:40 – Break
18:40 – 18:45 Main Partner Business Presentation – Oracle Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
18:45 – 19:30 Panel IXa. Russian Hybrid Warfare in Europe – in partnership with Institute for European Policies and Reforms, Republic of Moldova
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Iulian GROZA, Executive Director, Institute for European Policies and Reforms, Republic of Moldova
- H.E. Mr. Igor GROSU, President, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
- H.E. Mr. Mircea ABRUDEAN, President of the Senate, Romania
18:45 – 19:30 Panel IXb.The Battlefield of Societal Resilience. From Ukrainian War Time Model to European Society in the Era of Full-Scale Hybrid Warfare – in partnership with Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Romania & Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Cristian DAVID, Chairman of the Institute for Freedom and Democracy, Romania
- Ms. Olga REZNIKOVA, Researcher, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine
- Mr. Raed ARAFAT, State Secretary & Head of the Emergency Situations Department, Ministry of Interior, Romania
- Mr.Ralph THIELE, President, EuroDefense Germany – Chairman Political-Military Society Germany – Managing Director, StratByrd Consulting, Germany
- Mr. Jakub M. GODZIMIRSKI, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute for International Affairs, Poland
- Mr. Martin ANGEBY, Senior Advisor, The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats, Finland
19:45 – 21:30 Cocktail
08:00 – 09:00 Registration
09:00 – 09:50 Panel Xa. Alliance Solidarity and Common Threat Perception. From Hague to Ankara NATO Summits – in partnership with the Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Ambassador Sorin DUCARU, Honorary Chairman of the Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Ambassador Wolfgang ISCHINGER, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Council, Germany
09:00 – 10:00 Panel Xb Between Peace and War. The Blurred Face of Modern Conflict – in partnership with the Council on Geostrategy, UK
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Ms. Viktorija STARYCH-SAMUOLIENĖ, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy, Council on Geostrategy, UK
- H.E. Daniella MISAIL-NICHITIN, Minister of Internal Affairs, Republic of Moldova
- Mr. Frédéric PETIT, Member, Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Assembly, France
- Lieutenant General Iulian BERDILĂ, Deputy Chief of Defence for Operations and Training, Romania
- Mr. Karsten FRIIS, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Relations (NUPI), Norway
10:05 – 10:50 Panel XIa. Voluntary but Vital. Coalition of Willing for Ukraine – in partnership with London School of Economics IDEAS, UK
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Chris ALDEN, Director, LSE Ideas, UK
- Mr. Cyrille BRET, Professor, School of Public Affairs, Sciences Po, France
- Ms. Viktorija STARYCH-SAMUOLIENĖ, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy, Council on Geostrategy, UK
- Mr. Tomasz SMURA, Head of the Defence Track, Warsaw Security Forum, Poland
- Mr. Matthew BOYSE, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, former Deputy Assistant Secretary responsible for Central Europe at the State Department, USA
10:00 – 10:50 Panel XIb. AI, Cyber & Disruptive Tech Threat Amplification: Building a Resilient Technology and Security Ecosystem in the Black Sea Region – in partnership with National Cyber Security Directorate, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Iulian POPA, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Mr. Dan CÎMPEAN, Director, National Cyber Security Directorate, Romania
- Mr. Nicolas ZIPPELIUS, Member, Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, Bundestag, Germany
- Ambassador Sorin DUCARU, Honorary Chairman of the Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Mr. Corneliu BJOLA, Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford, Romania
10:00 – 10:50 Panel XIc. From Wind and Solar to Green Hydrogen: The Future of Sustainable Energy in Europe and the Impact in the Black Sea Region
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Laurențiu PACHIU, Senior associate Expert, New Strategy Center, Vice President, Energy Policy Group, Romania
- Mr. Lorant ANTAL, Chair, Committee on Energy, Senate, Romania
- Ms. Teodora GEORGIEVA, Deputy Minister of Energy, Bulgaria
- Mr. Christian EGENHOFER, Senior fellow, Florence School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Germany
- Mr. Ondrej SAFAR, Country Manager, Evryo Group, Romania
- Representative of Hidroelectrica, Romania
10:00 – 10:50 Panel XId. Borderlines and Battlelines: Assessing Regional Security in the Caucasus – in partnership with Delphi Global Research Center, USA
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Ms. Maia OTARASHVILI, Senior Fellow, Delphi Global Research Center, USA
- Mr. Sergey MINASYAN, Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute, Armenia
- Major General (ret.) Vakhtang KAPANADZE, former Chief of Defence Staff, Georgia
- Mr. Yunis GURBANOV, Senior advisor, Center for Analysis of International Relations, Azerbaijan
10:50 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:05 Main Partner Business Presentation – Concelex
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
11:05 – 12:00 Panel XIIa. Connectivity Corridors, Maritime Checkpoints, and Global Stakes. Maintaining Open Seas from the Black Sea to the South China Sea – in partnership with The Heritage Foundation, USA
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Silviu NATE, Director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Sibiu, Romania
- Mr. James CARAFANO, Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, USA
- Mr. Alisher ABDRESHEV, Leading Expert of the KazISS Department for European and American Studies, Kazakhstan
- Mr. Kaush ARHA, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council, former Senior Advisor on Strategic Engagement, United States Agency for International Development, USA
- Mr. Ken ENDO, Professor in the Department of Politics at the School of Law, Hokkaido University, Japan
- Mr. Adrian FLOREA, Executive Director, Concelex, Romania
11:00 – 11:05 Main Partner Business Presentation – PPC Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
11:05 – 12:00 Panel XIIb. Energy Corridors and the Impact on European Security – in partnership with the Delphi Economic Forum, Greece
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Orestis CHATZIGIANNAKIS, Senior Content Manager, Delphi Economic Forum, Greece
- Ms. Susan E. WALTON, Senior Advisor, New Markets – Global Risk and Resilience, US
- Mr. Cristian BUȘOI, State Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Romania
- Ms. Teodora GEORGIEVA, Deputy Minister of Energy, Bulgaria
- Mr. Ion STERIAN, CEO, Transgaz, Romania
- Mr. Vladimir MALINOV, CEO, Bulgartransgaz, Bulgaria
- Mr. Alessio MENEGAZZO, CEO & Country Manager, PPC Romania
11:00 – 12:00 Panel XIIc. The Fight for Truth in the Era of Alternative Media and Deepfake Technology
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Ms. Roberta RĂDUCU, Assistant Professor, College of Communication and Public Relations, SNSPA, Romania
- Ms. Alexia TASOULI, International correspondent, Greece
- Mr. Sascha FAHRBACH, International Technology and European Affairs Journalist, Poland
- Mr. Ion IONIȚĂ, Senior editor Adevărul Newspaper, Romania
- Mr. Tudor GALOȘ, Senior Privacy & AI Consultant, Romania
11:30 – 12:40 Panel XIId. Black Swans in the Black Sea: Anticipating the Unthinkable – in partnership with Sofia Security Forum, Bulgaria
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Rear Admiral (LH) (Ret.) Iuri-Alexandru COVALEOV, Senior Associate Expert, New. Strategy Center, former Deputy Chief, Military Intelligence Directorate, Romania
- Mr. Robert HAMILTON, President, Delphi Global Research Center, USA
- Mr. Cyrille BRET, Professor, School of Public Affairs, Sciences Po, France
- Major General (Ret.) Vakhtang KAPANADZE, former Chief of Defence, Georgia
- Mr. Glen HOWARD, President, Saratoga Foundation, USA
12:00 – 12:10 Break
12:10 – 12:30 “RESPONSIBILITY” – Keynote speech delivered by General Carsten BREUER, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
12:30 – 13:15 Panel XIIIa. Europe’s Nuclear Umbrella. From Transatlantic Assurance to European Ambitions – in partnership with Institute for European Perspective and Security, France
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Vasile TOADER, Member of Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Mr. Emmanuel DUPUY, President, Institute for European Perspective and Security, France
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, former DSACEUR, UK
- Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben HODGES, Member of the International Advisory Board of the New Strategy Center, former Commander of US Army Europe, USA
- Mr. Liviu HOROVITZ, Head of the project – Strategic Threat Analysis and Nuclear (Dis-)Order (STAND), SWP, Germany
12:10 – 13:15 Panel XIIIb. Weapons of Russian Informational Warfare
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Ms. Ileana ROTARU, Senior associate expert, New Strategy Center, Professor, West University of Timisoara, Romania
- Ms. Charlotte FREIHSE, Co-Lead Digitalization and the Common Good, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Germany
- Mrs. Svitlana KOVALCHUK, Executive Director, Yalta European Strategy, Ukraine
- Ms. Alina BÂRGĂOANU, Senior Associate Expert of New Strategy Center, Dean of the College of Communication and Public Relations, SNSPA, Romania
- Mr. Michael MIKLAUCIC, Senior Fellow, Irregular Warfare Center, USA
13:00 – 14:15 Panel XIIIc. War of Attrition and Large-Scale Combat. Where is the Place of Special Operation Forces? – in partnership with National Defense Institute, Portugal
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Colonel (ret.) Emilian BELEAGĂ, Senior associate expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- General (ret.) Nicolae CIUCĂ, former Chief of Defence Staff & former Minister of Defence, Romania
- Major General Claudiu DOBOCAN, Chief of Special Forces, Romania
- Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Domingos RODRIGUES, Associated Researcher at the National Defense Institute, Portugal
- Mr. Adrian IACOB, Executive Director, Lockheed Martin Romania
13:15 – 13:25 Break
13:25 – 14:15 Panel XIVa. Baltic and Black Sea Security From Kaliningrad to Crimea. Two Seas, One Strategy! – in partnership with Warsaw Security Forum, Poland
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Tomasz SMURA, Head of the Defence Track, Warsaw Security Forum, Poland
- H.E. Radu MIRUȚĂ, Minister of Defence, Romania
- Ms. Nicoleta PAULIUC, Chair, Defence Committee, Senate, Romania
- Mr. Yordan BOZHILOV, Deputy Minister of Defence, Bulgaria
- Mr. Paweł ZALEWSKI, Secretary of State. Ministry of Defense, Poland
- Mr. Wilfried JILGE, Senior Adviser, Ukraine and Wider Black Sea, Stabilisation Platform, Germany
13:25 – 14:15 Panel XIVb. It’s A Long Way to Tipperary! Challenges for Military Mobility in the Modern Warfare – in partnership with the Association of the United States Army – Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. David CARSTENS, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center, USA
- Mr. Apostolos TZITZIKOSTAS, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Greece (via VTC)
- Mr. Ionel SCRIOȘTEANU, State Secretary, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Romania
- Lieutenant General (ret.) Charles HOOPER, former Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, USA
- Major General Mircea GOLOGAN, Deputy Chief of Defence for Resources, Romania
- Brigadier General (Ret.) Hans DAMEN, Member of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, The Netherlands
- Speaker from Proger Global Network, Romania
14:15 – 15:40 Lunch
15:45 – 15:50 Main Partner Business Presentation – Leviatan Group, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
15:50 – 16:50 Panel XVa. Defense through Infrastructure: From Military Bases to Dual-Use Infrastructure
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Brigadier General (Ret.) Hans DAMEN, Member of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, The Netherlands
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, Honorary Chairman of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, former DSACEUR, UK
- Lieutenant General Iulian BERDILĂ, Deputy Chief of Defence for Operations and Training, Romania
- Mr. Vlad DUHAN, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Leviatan Group, Romania
- Mr. Alexandru REFF, Managing Partner, Deloitte Romania & Moldova, Romania
15:40 – 15:45 Main Partner Business Presentation – Grampet Group, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
15:45 – 16:50 Panel XVb. The Strategic Triangle of the IMEC, Three Seas Initiative and Danube Corridor – in partnership with SEW UW – Centre for East European Studies, University of Warsaw, Poland
(Open access, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Silviu NATE, Director of the Center for Global Studies at the University of Sibiu, Romania
- Mr. Sandro KNEZOVIĆ, Research Adviser at the Institute for Development and International Relations, Croatia
- Mr. Kaush ARHA, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council, former Senior Advisor on Strategic Engagement, United States Agency for International Development, USA
- Ms. Małgorzata SAMOJEDNY, Founder, The Opportunity Institute for Foreign Affairs, Poland
- Mr. Florin SPĂTARU, General Director GRUP FEROVIAR ROMÂN, Romania
15:40 – 16:50 Panel XVc. AI in Cybersecurity: The Dual-Use Dilemma
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Daniel IONIȚĂ, Senior Associate Expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Ambassador Sorin DUCARU, Honorary Chairman of the Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Mr. Sebastian SUCIU, Analyst, Cyberint National Center, Romania
- Mr. Corneliu BJOLA, Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford, Romania
16:50 – 17:00 Break
17:00 – 17:05 Main Partner Business Presentation – Leviatan Group, Romania
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
17:05 – 17:50 Panel XVIa. Why the Arctic Matters: Strategic Challenges for the Transatlantic World – in partnership with Institute for the Norwegian Institute of International Relation (NUPI), Norway
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Karsten FRIIS, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Relation (NUPI), Norway
- H.E. Espen Barth EIDE, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
17:00 – 17:50 Panel XVIb. Reinforcing the NATO and EU’ s Defence Technological and Industrial Base
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Brigadier General (ret.) Eduard SIMION, Senior associate expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Mr. Sorin MOLDOVAN, State Secretary for Policy Planning, Ministry of National Defence, Romania
- Air Flotilla General (r) Adrian DUȚĂ, Senior Advisor, Defence & Security, KPMG in Romania
- Mr. Sascha FAHRBACH, International Technology and European Affairs Journalist, Poland
- Mr. Zbigniew PIEC, ISD Director for Central and Eastern Europe General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poland
17:00 – 17:50 Panel XVIc. From Strategy to Action. A Road Map for the EU Black Sea Strategy – in partnership with German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP), Germany
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Danube” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Stefan MEISTER, Head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, DGAP, Germany
- Ms. Ana TINCA, State Secretary for Strategic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Mr. Yordan BOZHILOV, Deputy Minister of Defence, Bulgaria
- Ambassador Michaël ROUX, Envoy for the Eastern Partnership and the Black Sea, France
17:00 – 17:50 Panel XVId. Digital Battlefields: Data, AI, and Emerging Threats. From Data Management to Information Superiority
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Daniel IONIȚĂ, Senior associate expert, New Strategy Center, Romania
- Major General Marius PATRICHE, Deputy Director, General Director for Internal Protection, Ministry of Interior, Romania
- Mr. Sergiu RUSSU, Country Leader, ORACLE Romania
- Major General Adrian BRÎNZĂ, Head of the Communications and Information Technology Directorate, Defence Staff, Romania
- Mr. Mihai OLTEANU, Analyst, Cyberint National Center, Romania
- Brigadier General Răzvan TUDOSE, Commander, Cyber Defence Command, Ministry of Defence, Romania
17:50 – 18:00 Break
18:00 – 19:10 Panel XVII. From Promise to Pressure: Article 5 and the Future of Transatlantic Solidarity
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben HODGES, Member of the International
Consultative Board of the New Strategy Center, former Commander of US Army Europe, USA
- General Gheorghiță VLAD, Chief of Defence Staff, Romania
- General Carsten BREUER, Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Germany
- General (ret.) José NUNES DA FONSECA, former Chief of Defence, Portugal
19:10 – 19:20 Closing Remarks
- Ambassador Angela GANNINGER, Ambassador of Germany to Romania, representative of BSBSF 2026 Country Partner
- Mr. George SCUTARU, CEO, New Strategy Center, Romania
Note – Simultaneous translation into English and Romanian is available.
*VTC – video teleconferencing
