2011 Wroclaw Global Forum

The 2011 Wrocław Global Forum brought together about 200 key business executives and policy professionals to examine the changing role of the Central European region, particularly as a partner and leader in Europe, in the transatlantic space, and in the global arena. This year’s Forum focused especially on how that role is evolving on the following issues:

  • Economics and energy, including building global competitiveness; expanding the area of Central European prosperity; and securing a strong regional energy future.
  • Security and defense, including the meaning of NATO’s Article V after the Lisbon Summit; the future of European defense in an age of austerity; and the transatlantic response to global security threats.
  • Democracy and values, including transatlantic cooperation in supporting democracy around the world; the intersection of business, economics, and democracy; and the role of new media in spreading democracy.

The 2011 Freedom Awards were also held in Wroclaw. The this year’s awards were presented to US Senator John McCain, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski on behalf of the Polish people, Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat on behalf of his people, and Solidarity stalwarts Adam Michnik and Helena Łucywo of Gazeta Wyborcza. This year’s awards dinner also paid tribute posthumously to former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Ron Asmus for his extraordinary contributions to the transatlantic community. In recognition of the groundbreaking events in the Middle East and this year’s troubling crackdown in Belarus, awards were also given to the Belarus Free Theater, the Human Rights Center “Viasna” and the Belarusian Association of Journalists on behalf of the people of Belarus, as well as Egyptian blogger and founder of the April 6 Movement, Esraa Abdel Fattah. US Ambassador to Poland Lee Feinstein and Poland’s Ambassador to the United States Robert Kupiecki served as the evening’s co-chairs.

The first Wrocław Global Forum was held in October 2010. Last year’s Freedom Awards recognized Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Jerzy Buzek, Javier Solana and the Ladies in White dissident group from Cuba.

Global Forum Highlights for Friday, June 10

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski launched the first day of the 2011 Wrocław Global Forum. After being welcomed by Wrocław Mayor Rafal Dutkiewicz and President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, Frederick Kempe, President Komorowski delivered an opening keynote highlighting Poland’s emotional vision of freedom and liberty and its responsibility to work with transatlantic partners in contributing to the safety and security of the rest of the world. The second speaker of the day, former National Security Advisor General James L. Jones, followed by illustrating the challenge of dealing with today’s transnational, transborder crises, in particular the importance of remaining strategic in supporting the democratic movements of the Arab Spring.

Vladimir Filat, Prime Minister of Moldova, continued the momentum with his keynote emphasizing Moldova’s relationship with the European Union and its efforts to build democracy including by encouraging electoral participation among the Moldovan diaspora. The remainder of the day was comprised of a series of dynamic panel discussions exploring topics including the future of global energy markets, Poland as a model for democracy-building, the future of NATO in the context of decreasing defense spending, and the potential for EU sanctions of Belarus under Lukashenko’s dictatorship.

Agenda

Friday, June 10, 2011

Welcoming Remarks | Video

  • Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of Wrocław
  • Frederick Kempe, President & CEO, Atlantic Council

Opening Keynote | Video

  • Bronisław Komorowski, President of the Republic of Poland

Transatlantic Keynote | Q&A Video

  • Moderator: Frederick Kempe, President & CEO, Atlantic Coucil
  • James L. Jones, former National Security Advisor, General USMC (ret.)

Central and Eastern Europe: A Model Transition? | Video

  • Moderator: Janusz Reiter, President and Founder, Center for International Relations
  • Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, Chairman, Council of the Polish Institute of International Affairs
  • John Kornblum, former US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, Senior Counselor Noerr LLP
  • Jan Kulczyk, Founder, Kulczyk Investments

Democracy Keynote | Video

  • Moderator: Matthew Kaminski, Correspondent and Member of the Editorial Board, The Wall Streer Journal
  • Vladimir Filat, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova

The Transatlantic Partners: Growing Democracy around the World | Video

  • Moderator: Matthew Kaminski, Correspondent and Member of the Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal
  • Lee A. Feinstein, U.S. Ambassador to Poland
  • Ana Gomes, Member of the European Parliament
  • Roel von Meijenfeldt, Chairperson, European Partnership for Democracy
  • Adam Michnik, Editor-in-Chief, Gazeta Wyborcza
  • Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Keynote Conversation | Video

  • John McCain, United States Senator
  • Moderator: Frederick Kempe, President & CEO, Atlantic Council

New Energy Sources and the Global Power Equation | Video, Q&A Video

  • Moderator: Ian Brzezinski, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
  • Johan Hallen, Managing Director, Westinghouse Sweden
  • Jarosław Pietras, Director General, Directorate General for Environment, Health, Consumers, Education and Culture, Council of the European Union
  • Herbert Wirth, President of the Management Board, KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

The Transatlantic Partners: Are We Preparing to Meet the Same Threats? | Video, Q&A Video

  • Moderator: Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council
  • Zsolt Nemeth, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Hungary
  • Alexander Vershbow, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • Maciej Witucki, CEO, Polish Telecom

MEDIA MENTIONS

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Polish Press Coverage:

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