Agenda

Europe is, as ever, in transition. Its economy remains exposed to the challenges of operating in the post-Lehman Brothers era. A slowdown in emerging markets growth is the last thing a troubled global economy needs. And while the G7 is looking for a new raison d’etre, the G20 is setting priorities to make the global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks. It is possible that Europe may converge politically through joint action on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), anxiety over a possible education system bubble, and the need to sufficiently underpin the Euro . But does Europe have a long-term vision to influence global tectonic shifts, or will the United States and Asia dominate global leadership?

Speakers:

Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD

Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development

Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Paqué, Minister of Finance of Saxony-Anhalt (ret.), Chair of International Economics, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

Andrius Kubilius, Member of the Seimas 2012-2016, Former Prime Minister of Lithuania

Moderator: Tim King, Editor, European Voice, Belgium

Speakers:

Dr. Gerlinde Niehus, Head of Engagements Section, NATO Public Diplomacy Division (TBC)

Mikheil Darchiashvili, Deputy Defence Minister, Georgia

Did last week’s Wales Summit reaffirm the bond between Europe and North America? As the Afghan government takes more responsibility for its own security, and the NATO operation in the country winds down, the countries in the Euro-Atlantic community are questioning how best to maintain strong capabilities and the seamlessness of defence interoperability. More regular military exercises are part of the answer. What are the other parts? Spending on defence is abysmally low, and even the Ukraine crisis seems to have provided an  insufficient jolt to stimulate much-needed increases. While solidarity amongst the Allies appears to have improved and the Latvian Parliament voted to increase its budget incrementally over a five year period, is it enough, and will other European NATO countries follow?

Speakers:

Raimonds Vējonis, Minister of Defence, Latvia

Ine Eriksen Søreide, Minister of Defence, Norway

James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, NATO

Dr. Ariel Cohen, Visiting Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, the United States

Moderator:  Prof. Julian Lindley-French, Senior Fellow, Institute of Statecraft, London

On the threshold of elections in Moldova, this is the right time for the country to foster conditions for sustainable development and good governance. But will the November elections be a turning point? While Russia can offer cheap gas, and tens of thousands of Moldovans may be in favour of joining the Eurasian Customs Union, Moldova seeks to strengthen ties with the European Union. Is Moldova’s direction toward European integration irreversible? How will the Moldovan Communist party try to demonstrate that Europe is a poor choice, and is it a significant force to be reckoned with?

Speakers:

Juris Poikāns, Ambassador-at-Large for Eastern Partnership, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia

Dr. Martin Sieg, Chief Strategy Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova

Dr. Stanislav Secrieru, Expert at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM)

Vlad Spânu, President of the Moldova Foundation, the United States

Moderator: Judy Dempsey, Non-Resident, Senior Associate and Editor-in-Chief of Carnegie Europe’s “Strategic Europe”

The lack of interconnectedness is visible in the EU gas transportation and electricity production markets. While Europe has wanted more competition, current policies have resulted in less competition. In effect, a free market system ought to have brought Europe more producers but it has not. In addition, Europe has been looking for ways to reduce and limit carbon dioxide emissions but due to the failure (or success) of the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS) it’s the opposite. Is Europe’s freedom for sale in return for cheaper gas? Is Europe ready to acknowledge the necessity of dealing with its regional challenges in all sectors of energy?

Speakers:

Dr. Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis, Minister of Economy of Latvia

Laurent Ruseckas, Senior Advisor, Eurasian Gas, IHS Energy, the United States

Prof. Dr. Coby van der Linde, Director, Clingendael International Energy Programme, the Netherlands Institute of International Relations

Amb. Murat Salim Esenli, Deputy Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey

Moderator: Paweł Konzal, CEO of Krezus S.A., Poland

The annexation of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine has created deep rifts between Russia and the West. The status of “strategic partnership” between the EU and Russia has been questioned by various political leaders while NATO – Russia co-operation has been anything but frozen. In addition, an alternative political and economic structure, the “Eurasian Economic Union” is under creation, under close supervision of the Russian Federation. Are we entering an era of growing political confrontation between Russia and the West? Has the notion of Europe becoming “whole and free” irrelevant today? Is the “Eastern Partnership” to be blamed for the current tensions between Russia and the West?

Speakers:

Andrejs Pildegovičs, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia

Dr. Karl-Heinz Kamp, Academic Director of the Federal Academy for Security Policy, Germany

Dr. James Sherr, Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House, the United Kingdom

Fyodor Lukyanov, Editor-in-Chief of Russia in Global Affairs, Russia

Moderator: Konstantin von Eggert, Former Editor-in-Chief of Kommersant FM Radio in Moscow

The EU intends to promote the development and dissemination of new information and communication technologies to improve the lives of its citizens. With ever-increasing metadata collection, the right to privacy appears to be eroding. How can the information space in Europe be secured and strategic communication capabilities be boosted? And if Europe is faced by real information wars, where should lines on protection of personal data be drawn?

Speakers:

H. (Dick) W.M. Schoof, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, Ministry of Security and Justice, the Netherlands

Dr. Gerlinde Niehus, Head of Engagements Section, NATO Public Diplomacy Division

Felix Lindner, Head of Recurity Labs, Germany

Jānis Kārkliņš, Director of NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (COE), Latvia

Moderator: Craig Kennedy, Former President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States