The 15th edition of the Bucharest Forum will bring international political, security and financial leaders to the Romanian Parliament Palace on 19 and 20 November 2026, under the theme « On the Edge of Realignment ». The two-day gathering is organised by the Aspen Institute Romania and the German Marshall Fund and held under the High Patronage of Romania's President. Its programme is built around the connections between security, markets and the institutions that govern them.
Among the speakers on geopolitics and security are Annalena Baerbock, Germany's former foreign minister and former president of the UN General Assembly, and Simon Coveney, the former Irish foreign minister now with EY EMEIA. Mircea Geoană, president of Aspen Romania and a former NATO deputy secretary general, will also take part, alongside Jasem AlBudaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Gunther Krichbaum, German state minister for Europe. Radmila Shekerinska, NATO deputy secretary general, is scheduled to address the forum through a pre-recorded video message. Philippe Lavigne, David Cattler, Steven Feinberg and Mikołaj Dowgielewicz are also listed among the participants.
The economic and financial track features Anca Dragu, governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Helge Berger, deputy director of the International Monetary Fund, and Anna Akhalkatsi, the World Bank's regional director for EU countries. Alexandru Petrescu, head of Romania's Financial Supervisory Authority, and executives from BCR, UniCredit Romania and Raiffeisen Romania will round out the panels. Discussions are expected to cover fiscal credibility, financial stability and the way security considerations feed into market behaviour.
Defence and technology occupy a significant part of the agenda. Sessions will address the development of the defence industry and dual-use technology, as well as the obstacles that slow the transition of defence innovations from prototype to operational use. Black Sea critical infrastructure security is also on the list, as is the potential of artificial intelligence for Romania and Central and Eastern Europe.
Energy and regional infrastructure form another strand. Participants will discuss energy investment, the reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania's possible role in regional infrastructure. The Middle East conflict and its effects on transport and energy supply will feature in debates on Europe–Gulf relations, a relationship that the forum places at the centre of its discussion on a changing international order.
Beyond the main geopolitical and economic sessions, the programme includes contributions on city competitiveness from Bucharest mayor Ciprian Ciucu and Annecy mayor Antoine Armand, as well as discussions involving Dan Cîmpean, director of the National Cybersecurity Directorate, Andrei Iancu, Vivian Schiller and Adlen Chaikin. Cultural sessions, health and longevity topics and the question of natural capital are also planned.
The forum counts several Romanian institutions among its partners, including the Chamber of Deputies, the foreign, defence and energy ministries, Bucharest City Hall, the national cybersecurity directorate, the energy and communications regulators, the Financial Supervisory Authority and the employers' organisation of the defence industry.