PRELIMINARY AGENDA

The Central and Eastern European region has developed since 1990 a multiplicity of frameworks for cooperation, with a varied level of success. The Visegrad cooperation became probably the longest lasting from among these, but remained largely a platform for political exchange and never managed to move into the “real world” of implementing tangible projects of strategic importance for its member states. Perhaps this is why the Three Seas Initiative sticks out as a regional framework based on a wholly novel approach: that of creating a fund on sound business grounds to be able to implement real projects of strategic value for the CEE region. Since 3SI’s launch, Poland was invited as an observer to the G-20 club as a trillion-dollar economy, at the end of 2025. With Russia’s war against Ukraine, key strategic questions are to be answered: Is the 3SI capable of embodying a regional goal? Is this initiative enabling the participant countries to take the initiative serving their strategic interests? How can the Three Seas Initiative contribute to this? How does this framework compare with the B9 framework, and should either expand towards the Nordic countries? Can this framework contribute to turning the periphery of Europe into an impactful region for Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community?

In Cooperation with EIES, European Initiative for Energy Security

Batteries are becoming the backbone of Europe's energy security. They stabilise grids built around variable renewables, keep industry and data centres running when supply is disrupted, and power defence systems from drones to military microgrids. Yet Europe deploys batteries far faster than it can build them. Most of the materials, components, and equipment behind them come from abroad, and the software that controls them carries risks of its own. Closing that gap requires a European industrial base able to manufacture batteries and their components at scale, under competitive and secure conditions. Drawing on EIES' report 'Jumpstarting Europe's Battery Industry', this session will examine how Europe can build that base, and how battery investment can be turned into durable jobs, skills, and industrial capability. 

The joining of Finland and Sweden, two Nordic countries to NATO, representing a sudden and total rupture from their long held strategies of neutrality, have been among the most seminal developments in recent Alliance history. What are the most important lessons learnt after the first years of membership? What is the Nordic reading of strategic developments of Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as in the global arena, and what are the threat scenarios they are working with? What is their analysis of the security situation regarding Russia’s hybrid warfare in Europe and what steps do they see to be most important for Alliance security? Is the Arctic Sentry, with sea lanes opening up, enough to secure Greenland, and/or to accommodate the American administration’s concerns regarding the security of Greenland? What is the security benefit of the new Allies for Alliance members?

In Cooperation with RAND Europe

Convened by RAND Europe, this roundtable will focus on Ukraine’s strategic dilemmas and the main areas for cooperation with Europe beyond the current phase of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The session will address three interrelated issues: (1) Ukraine’s future deterrence and defence posture required to prevent renewed Russian aggression or other forms of destabilising behaviour; (2) the main priorities for EU-Ukraine relations, including the role of Ukraine's neighbours and the broader EU in supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and long-term reconstruction; and (3) key areas for mutually beneficial defence cooperation from defence technology partnerships to joint capability development.

Starting in March 2026, when US and Israeli militaries started attacking Iranian leadership, military forces and energy production, and Iran responded with attacks on several states of the Gulf region as well as by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the unfolding military developments in the Middle East terrorize Gulf countries and pushed global financial and energy markets into a dangerous volatility. The mid- and long-term scenarios of the conflict are far from being clear, but the consequences and repercussions are far and wide ranging, truly global. Can all stated American foreign policy goals be achieved, is there a chance for a less oppressive and more internationally cooperative Iranian government to emerge from the rubbles or is it more likely that the Iranian regime proves more resilient, how can, or should, the States of the Gulf region, hosting US military bases, respond to the situation to ensure their long-term security? The discussion focuses on the most strategic and most challenging questions of the regional impacts of the war in Iran.

Starting with a year of tumultuous relations with allies, partners and friends right after inauguration, and continuing with challenging a series of international institutions and organizations, and introducing tariffs as a major tool of bilateral relations, the US Administration in cooperation with Israel, made a massive military operation against Iran. This caused a major strain on its relations with the countries of the Gulf and on the global economy. As the United States is heading towards midterm elections in this tense international environment, what can we expect in the midterm elections and beyond? Two years later, it is worthwhile to take a look at the balances. What is the United States that Americans were expecting two years ago, and have they gotten what they voted for? Is it better, is it worse, is it different - and where is the US heading after the midterm elections, in the second half of the Trump administration?

In Cooperation with NewPush

Europe’s digital sovereignty has become a strategic priority of the EU, with key legislative frameworks such as AI Act, NIS2, eIDAS2 approved and established by 2027. The next phase of implementation — the most challenging stage of any regulatory effort — will coincide with the exponential disruption of AI and intensifying geopolitical competition. What are the most important steps that can support Europe’s digital sovereignty, how can security be enhanced without losing out on the AI potential, can Europe survive the disruption and is there a way for Europe to win it over?

By the 4 th year of Russia’s war against Ukraine, some key geostrategic developments have emerged that bear direct consequences for Europe and thus necessitate European strategic rethinking. A primary factor is the evolving nature of the partnership between Moscow and Beijing. It has become increasingly evident that Russia’s sustained operational capacity relies significantly on multifaceted Chinese support that extends beyond conventional energy trade. This includes the provision of dual-use technologies and broader strategic cooperation, which together have established a critical economic and industrial lifeline for Russia. Bilateral security cooperation, especially in the Arctic, profound geopolitical and ideological interests of re-organizing institutions and legal instruments of multilateral cooperation raise several questions to Euro-Atlantic security of how to manage its relations with Moscow and with Beijing.

Alongside the defense industry, water security is Europe’s second pillar of defense. Water of adequate quantity and quality is crucial in several areas. What are the risks to food security, the provision of drinking water, and energy production (with particular regard to hydropower and nuclear energy)? Has the EU recognized that there is a massive water risk here? Is it prepared to manage this risk? How can we effectively prepare for these risks from both a political and a policy perspective? Until water awareness is established, what can EU policy do? Water security thus has direct consequences to the foundations of security, from water and food supply security all the way to energy production. What security implications to expect from the effects of climate change and how to react to them? What are the priorities to focus on for effectively mitigating these unfolding security challenges? The discussion sets out to develop an all-round analysis of the key security challenges and the direct consequences of water security.

The Indo-Pacific area is clearly a key theater of competition between the US and China, with direct consequences for European security. What are the most consequential challenges stemming from China’s grand strategy and from the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), from China’s nuclear buildup and from the integration of AI into Chinese strategic thinking? How to read the tensions around the Taiwan Strait, and the strategic aspirations of North Korea? How should relations with India be developed? With the war in Iran, China took up a cautious but supportive position by repositioning Iran’s military navigation systems from US GPS to China's encrypted platform and provided anti-stealth radar system to Iran, also limiting rare earth materials’ export of potential military use while keeping up relations with the US. Are we heading towards a Sino-centric world? Clearly, 21st century global security will depend on whether European and American decision-makers get China right – how to make Europe ready for the challenge?

In Cooperation with FES, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung  

With the solid decision of increasing defense expenditure to 5% of member states’ budgets, NATO allied countries are getting much closer to developing the necessary military capabilities that have been postponed, in some cases neglected, and sometimes over decades. Yet the devil is in the details: what makes this decision impactful or not is the question of how exactly the increased budgets are going to be used. The necessary defense capabilities’ development has to result an upgrade in technology and equipment, as well as training and developing personnel and servicemen to proper use of new hardware and software, all the way to adopting the experiences of most recent warfare, the adaptation of military doctrines and the development of new operating procedures. All this, under the very rigid time pressure of our days’ intensive strategic and security developments launched by Russia’s war against Ukraine. The discussion will focus on analyzing all key elements to make the 5% a well-spent investment for the security of all allies.

In Cooperation with HBLF, the Hungarian Business Leaders Forum

Women are increasingly shaping decisions at the highest levels of diplomacy, government, business, and international organizations. Their leadership is no longer an exception but an essential part of addressing today’s most complex challenges—from energy security and geopolitical uncertainty to economic competitiveness and technological transformation. This panel brings together distinguished leaders from government and business to explore how diverse leadership perspectives contribute to more resilient institutions, stronger public-private cooperation, and better strategic decision-making. The discussion will examine the opportunities and challenges of leading in environments where rapid change, uncertainty, and cross-sector collaboration have become the new normal.