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 in a dialogue with H.E. Nicușor DAN, President of Romania
- H.E. Mr. Nicușor DAN, President of 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
- Ambassador Mehmet Kemal BOZAY, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Türkiye
- Géza Andreas von GEYR – State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany – video message
10:50 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 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
11:00 – 11:40 Panel IIIb. Frozen Peace or Fair Peace? Scenarios for Ending the War in Ukraine
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Radu TUDOR, Defence Analyst, Antena 3 CNN, Romania
- 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. 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 – 1st floor]
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
11:00 – 12:15 Panel IIId. Air and Space Battlefield: How We Can Create our A2/AD Umbrella? The Future of Integrated Defence
(Restricted access, by invitation only)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Black Sea” Venue – 1st floor]
Chair: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Viorel PANĂ, former Chief of Romanian Air Forces & 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. Krystian CHMIELEWSKI, Senior Vice President Kongsberg Defence&Aerospace AS Norway
11:40 – 11:50 Break
11:50 – 12:40 Panel IVa. 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)
11:50 – 12:40 Panel IVb. 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 – “Regina Maria” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Adrian MĂNIUȚIU, Journalist, Romania
- Mr. Bogdan Gruia IVAN, Former Minister of Energy, Romania
- Mr. Alexandru MAXIMESCU, Vice President, OMV Petrom, 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. Kiril RAVNACHKI, Member of the management Board of Bulgartransgaz, Bulgaria
11:50 – 12:40 Panel IVc. 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. Ovidiu NAHOI, Editor in Chief, RFI 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 head of the First U.S. representation to the independent state of Moldova, USA
- Mr. Radu BURDUJA, Executive Director, Euro-Atlantic Institute for Building Resilience, Republic of Moldova
12:40 – 12:50 Break
12:50 – 13:45 Panel Va. Investments in the Blur Security Environment. Challenges and Opportunities
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Cristian HOSTIUC, Editorial Director, Ziarul Financiar, Romania
- Ms. Anca DRAGU, Governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Moldova
- 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, USA
12:55 – 13:45 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, Associate Fellow at the DGAP’s Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, 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 – 13:45 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
- Brigadier General Virgil-Nicu FLORESCU, Commander Of The Land Component Command, Romania
- Mr. Andriy SIRKO-GALOUCHENKO, expert on UAV development for military applications, founder of the UAV Forum, Ukraine
- Mr. Costică POSTOLACHE, Deputy General Director for Business Development, Interactive Systems Romania
13:45- 15:15 Lunch
15:20 – 15:25 Main Partner Business Presentation
(Open session, press access)
[InterContinental Athénée Palace – “Le Diplomate” Venue]
Mr. Bram COUWBERGHS, Vice President of Defense and Defense Industry for EMEA, ORACLE, Belgium
15:25 – 16:20 Panel VIa. 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 Diplomate” Venue]
Chair: General (Ret.) Daniel PETRESCU, Member, International Leadership Council, Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) & former Chief of Defence, Romania (2000-2004)
- Mr. Mohammed ALSULAMI, President, International Institute for Iranian Studies, Saudi Arabia – via VTC
- 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, University of Tokyo, Japan
- Mr. Marios P. EFTHYMIOPOULOS, CEO, Strategy International, Cyprus
15:25 – 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, Istituto 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
16:30 – 17:30 Panel VIIa. 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 – “Le Diplomat” Venue]
Chair: Mr. Stefan HOFMANN, Head of KAS office in Bucharest, Germany
- H.E. Mr. Mihai JURCA, Head of Prime Minister Chancellery, Special Envoy for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, 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, Construcții Erbașu, Romania
- Mr. Sebastian METZ, CEO, AHK Romania, Germany
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
- MG (Ret.) Volodymyr HAVRYLOV, former Deputy Minister of Defence, Ukraine
- Dr. Björn BERNHARD, CEO and Head of Division Vehicle Systems Europe Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, Germany
- Mr. 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. Ivan US, Senior Consultant, Foreign Policy Center of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine
- Mr. Richard WILCOX, Director, Private Partnerships, World Food Programme, Germany – via VTC
- 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
- Wolfgang ISCHINGER, Ambassador; Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Germany
- Mr. James CARAFANO, Senior Counselor to the President and E.W. Richardson Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, USA
- Ambassador Michele VALENSISE, President, Istituto Affari Internazionali, Italy
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, Honorary Chairman of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, 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 Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, former ambassador of Romania to Kuwait, Oman and Egypt, Romania
- Mr. Daniel GERLACH, Director, Candid Foundation, Germany
- Ambassador Tacan ILDEM, Chairman, Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM), Türkiye
- Mr. Ariel EZRAHI, Non-Resident Senior Fellow Middle East Programs, Atlantic Council
- Mr. Jamal NUSSEIBEH, Board Member, Middle East Policy Council, Palestine
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 (UH) (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, former Deputy of the State Secretary and Chief of the Defence Policy and Planning Department in the Ministry of National Defence, 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 – 18:45 – Break
18:45 – 19:20 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 Freedom 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
- Colonel (Ret.) 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: Ms. Teodora TOMPEA, Journalist, Romania
- Wolfgang ISCHINGER, Ambassador; Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Germany
- Ambassador Sorin DUCARU, Honorary Chairman of the Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania
09:00 – 09:50 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
09:50 – 10:00 Break
10:00 – 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
- Ms. Viktorija STARYCH-SAMUOLIENĖ, Co-Founder and Director of Strategy, Council on Geostrategy, UK
- Mr. Emmanuel DUPUY, President, Institute for European Perspective and Security, France
- 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
- 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 – 1st floor]
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
- Mr. Christian EGENHOFER, Senior fellow, Florence School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Germany
- Mr. Ondrej SAFAR, Country Manager, Evryo Group, Romania, Czech Republic
- Mr. Bogdan BADEA, CEO 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
- Ms. Khatia KIKALISHVILI, Programme Director for Eastern Partnership at the Centre for Liberal Modernity (Libmod), Germany
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 Chokepoints, 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, University of Tokyo, Japan
- Mr. Adrian FLOREA, Executive Director, Concelex, Romania
11:00 – 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 – via VTC
- Mr. Kiril RAVNACHKI, Member of the management Board of 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, Lecturer, Kozminski University, Poland
- Mr. Ion IONIȚĂ, Senior editor Adevărul Newspaper, Romania
- Mr. Tudor GALOȘ, Senior Privacy & AI Consultant, Tudor Galos Consulting, 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
- Major General (Ret.) Vakhtang KAPANADZE, former Chief of Defence, Georgia
- Mr. Glen HOWARD, President, Saratoga Foundation, USA
12:00 – 12:10 Break
12:10 – 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, former Deputy Chief of Defence, Romania
- Mr. Emmanuel DUPUY, President, Institute for European Perspective and Security, France
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, Honorary Chairman of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, 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), German Institute for International and Security Affairs (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 Prime Minister & 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
- Lieutenant General Iulian BERDILĂ, Deputy Chief of Defence for Operations and Training, Romania
- Mr. Yordan BOZHILOV, Director, Sofia Security Forum, Bulgaria
- Mr. Wilfried JILGE, Associate Fellow at the DGAP’s Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, Germany
- Mr. Emmanuel DUPUY, President, Institute for European Perspective and Security, France
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. 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
- Mr. Alexandru PETCOVICI, Infrastructure Director, 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
- H.E. Radu MIRUȚĂ, Minister of Defence, Romania
- General (Ret.) Sir James EVERARD, Honorary Chairman of International Consultative Board of New Strategy Center, former DSACEUR, UK
- Mr. Vlad DUHAN, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Leviatan Group, Romania
- Mr. Alexandru REFF, Country Managing Partner, Deloitte Romania si Moldova
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 the Institute for Development and International Relations, Croatia
(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. Corneliu BJOLA, Professor of Digital Diplomacy, University of Oxford, Romania
- Ms. Jessica KNIGHT, Researcher at the National Cyber Security Centre, UK
- Mr. Sebastian SUCIU, Analyst, Cyberint National Center, Romania
16:50 – 17:00 Break
17:00 – 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 at New Strategy Center, Former NATO HUMINT Center of Excellence Commander and Former SACT Representative in EuropePublic Order and National Security, Romania
- Mr. Sorin MOLDOVAN, State Secretary for Policy Planning, Ministry of National Defence, Romania
- Air Flotilla General (Ret.) Adrian DUȚĂ, Senior Advisor, Defence & Security, KPMG in Romania
- Mr. Sascha FAHRBACH, Lecturer, Kozminski University, Poland
- Mr. Zbigniew PIEC, ISD Director for Central and Eastern Europe General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poland
- Mr. Horia-Răzvan BOTIȘ, Board of Directors Member, DIANA NATO, Romania
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. Wilfried JILGE, Associate Fellow at the DGAP’s Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, Germany
- Ms. Clara STAICU, State Secretary for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania
- Mr. Yordan BOZHILOV, Director, Sofia Security Forum, 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. Bram COUWBERGHS, Vice President Defense EMEA, ORACLE, Belgium
- 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 – 18:45 Panel XVII. May 1939 – May 2026: The Last Peaceful Summer?
(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, former DSACEUR (2017 – 2020), UK
- Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben HODGES, former Commander of US Army Europe (2014-2017), USA
- General (Ret.) Nicolae CIUCĂ, former Chief of Defence (2015-2019), Romania
- General (ret.) José NUNES DA FONSECA, former Chief of Defence, Portugal
18:45 – 19:00 Closing Remarks
- Ambassador Angela GANNINGER, Ambassador of Germany to Romania, representative of BSBSF 2026 Country Partner
- Sorin CÎMPEANU, rector of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, Romania
- Mr. George SCUTARU, CEO, New Strategy Center, Romania
Note – Simultaneous translation into English and Romanian is available.
*VTC – video teleconferencing
