Bucharest Security Conference is one of the major events in the Central and Eastern European region, providing analysis and debate on the latest developments in the political and security environment of our countries.
The event originated from the B9 Cooperation Format and has been organised annually since 2016 by the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defence, promoting a common understanding of security threats among NATO members and partners, the strengthening of the Allied military presence in the region and the need to strengthen cooperation among B9 member states. The event was also supported by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division and generated partnerships with internationally renowned universities and think tanks. Among the speakers that addressed the event we can mention the Prime Minister of Romania, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, State Secretaries from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Poland, Hungary, NATO assistant secretary general, NATO spokesperson, the Head of the Polish Development Bank, former Defence Ministers from Poland and Bulgaria and other high officials from allied states, as well as high level experts from academia and think tanks.
The annual organization of the Bucharest Security Conference is part of the SNSPA strategy, as a school of government in Romania, to establish an annual platform for debate and dialogue in the field of regional and global defence and security.
The main focus of the 9th edition is the major strategic shifts reshaping the global order — from great power competition and regional instability to hybrid threats — and their implications for Europe, NATO, and the transatlantic partnership.
The event brings together experts from both the academic environment and practitioners in International Relations, to assess the most recent security evolutions in the Euro-Atlantic space, the new dynamics of the international system, and how the global power structure evolves under the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This conflict, along with the multiple crises and increasing tensions in the Euro Atlantic space show that Europe’s post-Cold War security system will have to be adjusted, in the long term, and in the short term all efforts should be focused on the conflict in Ukraine. These multiple crises that reinforce each other threaten to overwhelm liberal societies and political systems and foster the debate on how they can be overcome. The focus of this edition will be on the balance of power in Europe in the context of the different visions of the post-war order in Europe, as various countries are adapting their postures, for example France and Germany support Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion, but they have otherwise responded in different ways (consider a future European security architecture with Russia involved in some form). In this context the event searches to foster a common understanding of the present trends and future solutions.