On September 18–19, 2025, the Aspen Institute Central Europe, together with its partners—the Aspen Institutes of Romania, Kyiv, Italia, and France, and the Aspen Security Forum—successfully hosted the inaugural Aspen European Strategic Forum 2025 at Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest.
The Forum was officially opened with a keynote address by Mircea Geoană, President of the Aspen Institute Romania and former Deputy Secretary General of NATO.
The event offered a comprehensive program that included public forums, closed-door dialogues, analytical publications, and a leadership seminar. The Leadership Seminar was attended by selected Aspen Alumni, who were chosen through a competitive selection process across the participating institutes.
From Aspen Institute Central Europe, three alumni were chosen: Tomáš Pospíšil, David Plášek, and Lukasz K. Kolodziej. They attended the seminar the day before the main forum, alongside young leaders from the various partner Aspen Institutes.
The forum itself gathered over 120 participants, including high-level panelists from government, business, and strategic sectors. It fostered a dynamic conversation around critical themes relevant to European security writ large—covering military, economic, and societal dimensions. Among the distinguished participants and panelists were key representatives from the Aspen Institute Central Europe, including its Director, Tomáš Klvaňa, as well as Czech political leaders, namely Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Marian, and Czech Senator, David Smoljak.
Key panel themes included:
- “The Power of Alliances to Protect and Prevail”
- “Secure and Steady: Protecting Infrastructure and Safe Supply Chains” (in partnership with ECESTR)
- “Ukraine Security and Resilience towards Reconstruction”
- “One Tech, Multiple Fronts – The Security Impacts of Technology” with the support of DNSC and E-ARC
- “Protecting Critical Infrastructure in the Black Sea”
- “Building an Industrial and Innovation Base for Defence” in partnership with the National and Cooperative Security through a strong Defense Innovation and Industrial Base (S-DIIB) Policy Program
- “Building Societal Resilience in an Era of Confrontation”
At the center of the discussion was European Strategic Autonomy. The event aimed to assess how military strength, economic stability, technological innovation, and civic preparedness are essential to this. In today’s unpredictable geopolitical and geoeconomic climate, participants explored paths toward greater institutional stability and collective action. With a shifting global order and a rise in isolationist trends, the event focused on how to further strengthen infrastructure, innovation, and alliances. The Forum established a foundation for continued dialogue and collaboration across Europe’s strategic community.