Arrival of foreign guests in Bucharest

Dinner

Travel by bus București-Sibiu

Academic side event. Education in the knowledge society. The future of education in Europe

CONFERENCE OPENING
Special guest: Klaus Werner Iohannis, Romanian President
Iulian Chifu, President, Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Center, Bucharest
Ioan Bondrea, Rector, “Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu

Special invitee: the President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Iohannis.
Proposed topic: Romania’s interests, strategy and options for shaping the future of Europe

First panel. Projects and scenarios for the future of the EU
What Future for Europe?
Topics: A two-speed Europe or a multi-speed Europe. Europe of concentric circles. The cohesive Europe and the construction formats of the European cohesion
Panelists:
Vasile Pușcaș, UBB, former Minister of European Integration, Romania
Natalie Tocci, Deputy Director of Instituto Affari Internazionali, Italy, Special Adviser to HRVP Federica Mogherini
Michael Emerson, Senior research fellow CEPS
Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel Center
Cristian Diaconescu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Justice, former Presidential Adviser
Moderator: Iulian Chifu, President, CPC-EW

Discussants:
Dacian Cioloș, President PLUS, former European Commissioner
Victor Negrescu, Vice-Rector of the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, former Minister of European Affairs
Arvydas Pocius, Lithuanian Ambassador to Romania, former Chief of Defense
Dharmendra Kanani, Friends of Europe

Special guest 2
Prime Minister of Estonia
The future of Europe. The future of the EU seen from Central Eastern Europe

Transfer to restaurant

Dinner

Special Guest 3: Hans-Gert Pöttering, Representative for European Affairs of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, former President of the European Parliament
Projects for the future of the EU. The European Union - Evolution, Experiences and Perspectives

Panel 2. Turning today’s great challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities. New ambitions for the future of Europe
Europe’s Many Challenges and Its Opportunities
Topics: Countering disinformation ahead of EP’s elections. Brexit. Next EU framework. Reviving trust in EU project. Migration
Panelists:
Stephen Barclay, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, UK
Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen, General Director FG Communication/ former Chief Spokeswoman of the European Commission
Luca Jahier, President, European Economic and Social Committee
Vladimir Dlouhý, Co-Chair of EUROCHAMBRES Future of Europe Committee, President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce
Dan Dungaciu, Director, Institute for International Relations, Romanian Academy
Moderator: Alina Inayeh, GMF

Discussants:
Victor Ponta, former Prime-Minister of Romania (2012-2015), Founder and Chairman of Black Sea Regional Projects 2020 - discussant
Roberto Musneci, President, Romanian-Italian chamber of Commerce
Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel Center
Remus Pricopie, rector National University for Political and Administrative Studies Bucharest

Coffee break

Panel 3. The Security and Defense of Europe
Europe’s Security - Between Hopes, Imperatives and Promises
Topics: The international context and the pressures on the security and defense component. The European initiatives in the field. The contributions of the external actors to European security and defense – Turkey, USA, Ukraine. The European Defense and EU’s strategic posture post-Brexit
Panelists:
Amb. Sorin Ducaru, Head Sattelite Agency, EU, former ASG NATO
Olivier de France, Research director, Iris, Paris, France
Mr. Benjamin Haddad, Director, Future Europe Initiative, Atlantic Council (US)
Iulian Chifu, President, Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Center, former Advisor of the President for Strategic Affairs, Security and Foreign Policy, Romania
Grzegorz Małecki, President, The Institute of Security and Strategy Foundation, Poland, former Director of Foreign Intelligence Agency, Poland
Moderator: Kiberly Dozier, CNN

Discussants:
James Sherr – Senior Fellow, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute/ICDS, UK
Silviu Rogobete, Professor, University of Timisoara

Lunch

Digital Challengers Lunch. Side event. (Special invitation)

Panel 4. Opportunities and anxieties of the transatlantic relationship.
A Neurotic Trans-Atlantic Relation
Topic: The evolution of the Euro-Atlanticism globally. The US-EU binding bilateral relationship. Multilateralism – its allies and enemies. Transatlanticism in the European public opinion. The agenda of bilateral stress, challenges and neuroses: global warming, free trade agreement, competition and cooperation. The need for realism and transatlantic balance. The impact of Trumpism in Europe
Panelists:
Gen. Nicolae Ciuca, Romanian Chief of Defense
Velizar Shalamanov, former Minister of Defense, former NATO Official Bulgaria
Bruce Stokes, Associate Fellow, Chatham House, Non-Resident Fellow, German Marshall Fund, US
John Venable, Senior Research Fellow, Center for National Defense, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, US
Iulian Fota, former National Security Advisor of the President, Romania
Fran Burwell, Atlantic Council, US
Moderator: Kiberly Dozier, CNN

Discussants:
Silviu Nate, Assoc. Prof. “Lucian Blaga” University, Director of Global Studies Center (LBUS)
Teona Akubardia, former vice-president National Security Council, Georgia

Dinner.

Panel 5. Fundamental values – the cornerstone of Europe’s cohesion and future
Which and Whose Fundamental Values?
Topics: Liberal democracy. Populism, illiberalism, authoritarian anti-European conservatism. Anti-European currents, their sources and modus operandi. The return of rationality, responsibility and balanced, coherent, and common sense options.
Panelists:
Leonard Orban, Presidential adviser - Department of European Affairs
Jakov Devcic, Coordinator European Policy, KAS
Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, Institute for Human Science
Greg Simons, Professor, Uppsala University
Lazar Comanescu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania
Moderator: Dan Cărbunaru (Caleaeuropeană.ro)

Discussants:
Akkan Souver, President, Marmara Group Foundation, Turkey
Dan Barna, President, USR, Romania
Vasile Dâncu, former Minister of Public Strategies and Information, UBB, Romania
Stepan Grygorian, Director, Analytical Centre on Globalization and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC), Armenia

Coffee break

Panel 6. The European Union – partners and vicinities
Where Does Europe End?
Proposed topic: The Enlargement. The Eastern Partnership. Relations with Russia. The Western Balkans. Relations with Turkey. Threats, challenges, risks and opportunities for the European project
Panelists:
Bogdan Aurescu, Presidential Adviser for External Relations
Dan Neculaescu, Secretary of State, Strategic Affairs, Romanian Foreign Ministry
Ivanna Klympush – Tsintsadze, Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine
Faruk Kaymakcı, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute/ICDS, UK
Steven Blockmans, Senior Research Fellow & Head of EU Foreign Policy, CEPS
Ian Bond, Director, Center for European Policy, UK
Moderator: Gallagher FENWICK, France 24

Discussants:
Viorel Cibotaru, former Minister of Defense, Republic of Moldova
Tengiz Pkaladze, former advisor of the Georgian President
Eugen Tomac, President PMP
Hryhorii Perepelytsia, Diplomatic Institute, Ukraine

Closing remarks:
Iulian Chifu, President, Conflict Prevention and Early Warning Center, Bucharest
Ioan Bondrea, Rector, “Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu

Lunch

Transfer to gala dinner

Gala dinner

Departure of the participants