“Commanding (in) Chaos: Time for Europe to Step Up”
The central theme of this year’s Forum was a call for a Europe that needs a strategy to stay competitive on a global scale by harnessing its collective strength, securing strategic autonomy, and shaping the rules of the international order rather than merely adapting to them. It is a call for Europe to become a key player.
GLOBSEC Forum 2025 takes place at a time when European nations are increasingly reassessing their role in a shifting global landscape. The programme focused on key issues such as strengthening European defence and strategic autonomy, ensuring long-term support for Ukraine, countering hybrid threats, securing critical infrastructure, digital resilience, innovation in technology, and sustainable financing of the defence industry.
“Europe is returning to the centre of strategic attention – and with that comes a new level of responsibility. This year’s GLOBSEC turns the spotlight back onto our own continent and creates space for reflection. If Europe is to remain true to its core value – peace – it must find the courage to assume full responsibility for its defence. Peace is not a gift we have been given; it is a strategy we have built over time. Now is the moment to accelerate. I believe GLOBSEC is the right place to shape a new European narrative on peace, defence and security,” said Robert Vass, President of GLOBSEC, an independent policy institution with offices around Europe and North America.
Organisers welcomed 2,000 attendees from around the world, including more than 250 speakers from diverse sectors – among them senior political leaders, private sector executives, innovators, and policy experts. The Forum, returning to Hilton Prague Hotel after less than a year, featured almost 60 main panels, more than 50 side events, and dozens of bilateral meetings, reaffirming GLOBSEC’s status as one of the foremost European platforms for dialogue on security, economics, technology and geopolitics.
“The year 2025 confirms GLOBSEC as a platform that has expanded far beyond Europe. Participation from almost 80 countries, including representatives from Africa, Latin America, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, underscores the global relevance of the Forum. GLOBSEC unites strategic debate across regions and responds to a growing demand for dialogue aimed at delivering practical and sustainable solutions,” added Daniel Braun, CEO of GLOBSEC.
The GeoTech Summit, under the political leadership of the Czech President Petr Pavel, was an integral part of the GLOBSEC Forum for the second consecutive year. This year’s agenda included new analytical outputs focused on the security of critical raw materials and the digitalisation of defence.
Learn more about GLOBSEC here.
