Balkan leaders gather for Bled congress

Balkan leaders gather for Bled congress

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Prime ministers from South Eastern Europe and senior EU officials will discuss “Solidarity for Global Security” as the main theme at the two-day Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) in Bled, Slovenia from Monday 28 August.

The BSF says it will address the questions of ensuring security, as well as safe access to food and energy, especially in the developing and least developed regions. Regional players will likewise discuss climate change and conflicts with climate-induced economic motivations, against a backdrop of maintaining human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The event will be opened and closed by Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and European Affairs Minister W Tanja Fajon. The opening will also feature keynote addresses by Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and European Council President Charles Michel.

As well as Golob and Michel, participants at the two-day event will include European leaders Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikola Denkov, North Macedonian Prime Minister Dmitar Kovacevski, Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Bosnia and Herzegovinan Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers Borjana Kristo.

Digital, sustainability, food security on agenda

On Monday discussions will include “Digital Transformation in the Region of the Western Balkans” and “European Sustainable, Industrial and Innovation Leadership”.

Day Two, on Tuesday, will feature such themes as “Building up Europe’s Cyber Resilience”; “The Future Nexus of Globalisation”; “How can Digital Transformation be Turned into a Development Transformation for All?”; “Securing European Energy Security”; “From Gas Guzzlers to Green Giants: Decarbonising Transport with a Twist!” and “The Role of Emerging Technologies and Transatlantic Partnership for EU Competitiveness and Economic Growth”.

Established by the Slovenian government in 2006, the BSF is an intergovernmental conference that brings leaders to the Alpine location to present broad perspectives on society and its trajectory. A BSF statement said this year it will take its audience for “an immersive audio-visual journey with a celebration of the Forum’s creative legacy”. The event can be followed online here.