Agenda 2015

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

14:45 – 15:15 Welcome and Opening (on the record)

Dr. Karen Donfried, President, GMF

15:15 – 16:00 A Conversation: (on the record)

Remarks: The Hon. Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, Minister of Defense, Germany
Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, Counselor and Trustee, Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Hon. Dr. Ursula von der Leyen, Minister of Defense, Germany
Moderator: Mr. Steven Erlanger, Bureau Chief, London, The New York Times

16:30 – 17:45 Zero-Sum? Russia, Power Politics, and the post-Cold War Era (on the record)

Dr. Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman, Committee of the Federation Council on International Affairs, Russian Federation
The Hon. Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, European External Action Service, and Vice President, European Commission, (MMF ‘07)
Victoria Nuland, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
The Hon. Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General, NATO
Moderator: Mr. David Ignatius, Columnist and Associate Editor, The Washington Post

18:15 – 19:15 A Conversation: (on the record)

Remarks and Presentation of BF Young Writers Award: The Hon. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belgium
The Hon. Michael Froman, U.S. Trade Representative
The Hon. Cecilia Malmström, Commissioner for Trade, European Commission
Moderator: Mr. Bruce Stokes, Director, Pew Global Economic Attitudes, Pew Research Center

19:15 – 21:45 Egmont Palace Reception (off the record/closed to press)

Host: The Hon. Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Belgium
Toasts: Mr. Marc Leland, Co-Chairman, Board of Trustees, GMF
Mr. Eckart von Klaeden, Head of External Affairs, Daimler AG, (MWS, ’89)

22:00 Night- Owl Sessions

Start-Up Shake-Up: How Entrepreneurship is Driving Regional Growth and Innovation (off the record/closed to press)

Ms. Lisa Balter Saacks, Vice-President, Business Development, GUST
Mr. Alain Deneef, Head, Brussels Metropolitan
Mr. Greg Horowitt, Co-Founder, T2 Venture Creation
Ms. Karen Wilson, Senior Fellow, Bruegel
Moderator: Mr. Robert David Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

The National Security Dilemma: The Power of International Politics on Domestic Debates (off the record/closed to press)

Gen. John Allen, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, The White House
Sir Kim Darroch, National Security Advisor, United Kingdom
Dr. Rafal Trzaskowski, State Secretary for European Affairs, Poland
Amb. Armando Varricchio, Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Italy
Moderator: Dr. Constanze Stelzenmuller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute

Europe Ten Years On (off the record/closed to press)

Dr. Charles Kupchan, Senior Director for Europe, National Security Council, The White House
The Hon. Janis Sarts, State Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Latvia
Mr. George Soros, Founder and Chairman, Open Society Foundations
Mr. Herman Van Rompuy, former President, European Council
Moderator: Dr. Daniela Schwarzer, Senior Director for Research and Director of the Europe Program, GMF

SATURDAY, MARCH 21

8:00 – 9:00 Brussels Forum Breakfast: Where will Economic Growth Come From? (on the record, not livestreamed)

Dr. Fan Gang, President, China Reform Foundation
Mr. Hari Hariharan, Chairman and Chief Executive, NWI Management
The Hon. Steffen Kampeter, State Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Germany
Moderator: Mrs. Megan Greene, Chief Economist, Manulife-John Hancock

9:15 – 10:30 Countering the New Wave of Terrorism at Home and Abroad (on the record)

The Hon. Volkan Bozkir, Minister of European Affairs and Chief Negotiator, Republic of Turkey
Mr. Derek Chollet, Counselor and Senior Advisor for Foreign and Security Policy, GMF (MWS, ’01)
Ms. Susan Herman, President, American Civil Liberties Union
Mr. Gilles de Kerchove, Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, European Council
Moderator: Mr. Philip Stephens, Associate Editor, Financial Times

11:00 – 12:15 New Visions for Energy Transition: Balancing Energy Security, Climate Change, and Costs (on the record)

The Hon. Miguel Arias Canete, Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, European Commission
The Hon. Borge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway
Mr. Dev Sanyal, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Regions, BP
Mr. Robin West, Senior Advisor, Center for Strategic & International Studies
Moderator: Ms. Nina dos Santos, Anchor, World Business Today, CNN

12:15 – 14:00 Networking Lunch

14:00 – 15:15 Global Competition – Can Transatlantic Economies Compete? (on the record)

Introductory Remarks: Dr. Daniela Schwarzer, Senior Director for Research and Director of the Europe Program, GMF (on the record)
Mr. Frank Friedman, CEO, Deloitte LLP
The Hon. Kristalina Georgieva, Vice-President, Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources, European Commission
The Hon. Jeff Sessions, Member, U.S. Senate
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler AG
Moderator: Mr.Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist, Financial Times

15:45 – 17:15 Great Powers in Asia: Is Strategic Competition the New Normal? (on the record)

Introductory Remarks: Dr. Daniel Twining, Senior Transatlantic Fellow for Asia, GMF (on the record)

Part I

Dr. Swapan Dasgupta, Independent Columnist, India
Prof. Yoriko Kawaguchi, Professor, Meiji Institute for Global Affairs
Prof. Cui Liru, Senior Advisor, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations

Part II

Mr. Carl Bildt, Chairman of the Global Commission on Internet Governance and Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations
Dr. Choi Kang, Vice-President, ASAN Institute for Policy Studies
Mrs. Michele Flournoy, Co-founder and CEO, Center for a New American Security
Moderator: Ms. Suhasini Haider, Foreign Editor, The Hindu

17:45 – 18:15 Brussels Forum Talk (on the record)

Professor Simon Anholt, Presidential Advisor and Founder, Good-Country Index

19:00 – 21:30 Break-Out Dinners (off the record/closed to press)

21:45 Night-Owl Sessions

Governing the Web? Power, Law, and the Internet (off the record/closed to press)

Mr. Robert David Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Ms. Annegret Bendiek, Senior Associate, Stiftung fur Wissenschaft und Politik
Mr. Sergio Branco, Director, Institute for Technology and Society, Rio de Janeiro
Mr. Peter Kellner, President, YouGov
Moderator: Mrs. Sudha David-Wilp, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, GMF

Conflict and Chaos in the New Middle East and North Africa (off the record/closed to press)

The Hon. Youssef Amrani, Head of Mission, Royal Cabinet, Kingdom of Morocco
Mr. Nader Hariri, Chief of Staff of Former President of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, H.E. Saad Hariri
The Hon. Mahmoud Jibril, President, National Forces Alliance, Libya
Moderator: Mr. David Ignatius, Columnist and Associate Editor, The Washington Post

Sustainable Security: Local Responses to Social Tension and Instability

The Hon. Ahmed Aboutaleb, Mayor, City of Rotterdam
Dr. Handi Bozatli, President, Assembly of European Regions
Mr. Carlos Menchaca, Council Member, New York City
Moderator: Mr. Derek Chollet, Counselor and Senior Advisor for Foreign and Security Policy, GMF

SUNDAY, MARCH 22

7:45-8:45 Brussels Forum Breakfast #1: Shifts in Global Leadership: New Roles for Asia and Europe?

Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor,United States
Mr. Volker Stanzel, Senior Adviser, European Council on Foreign Relations
Amb. Masafumi Ishii, Ambassador to Belgium, concurrently Representative of the Government of Japan to NATO
Moderator: Mr.Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Columnist, Financial Times

7:45-8:45 Brussels Forum Breakfast #2: Gender Parity and Diversity in the Transatlantic Realm

Mr. Peter Ericson, Head of Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden
Mr. Ahmed Larouz, President, The Cedar Network (MMF, ´08)
Dr. Celeste Wallander, Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia, U.S. National Security Council
Moderator: Ms. Rosalind Hudnell, Vice President, Human Resources, Director, Communications and Diversity

9:00 – 10:45 The Future of Conflict (on the record)

Remarks: H.E. Bronisław Komorowski, President, Republic of Poland (on the record)
General Philip Breedlove, SACEUR, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Mrs. Michele Flournoy, Co-Founder and CEO, Center for a New American Security
Dr. Yang Jiemian, President Emeritus, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies
Mr. Marwan Lahoud, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, Airbus
Moderator: Mr. Steven Clemons, Washington Editor-at Large, The Atlantic

11:15 Remarks: Mr. Christopher Murphy, Senator, U.S. Senate

11:20 – 12:15 Mystery Session (on the record)

Moderator: Mr. Nik Gowing, International Broadcaster (on the record)

12:45 – 14:00 Thought Experiment: The Brussels Forum Agenda in 2025 (on the record)

Ms. Elena Lazarou, Assistant Professor, School of Social Sciences - CPDOC, Fundação Getulio Vargas
Ms. Cindy Miller, President, UPS Europe
H.E. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President, Republic of Estonia
The Hon. Christopher Murphy, Member, U.S. Senate
Moderator: Dr. Ian Lesser, Executive Director Brussels Office and Senior Director for Foreign and Security Policy, GMF

14:00 – 14:15 Closing Remarks (on the record)

Dr. Karen Donfried, President, GMF