The Atlantic Council is hosting the 2023 edition of Central Europe Week, entitled “Leadership and Resilience on Europe’s Frontlines,” from November 6 to November 10. Central Europe Week is the Europe Center’s annual flagship conference that aims to foster a dynamic US-Central European partnership and help raise Central European voices, seeking common approaches to tackle pressing challenges in Europe and beyond.
Whether promoting regional security through their steadfast support of Ukraine or bolstering economic opportunity by serving as a center for industrial growth and technological innovation, many countries in Central Europe play an invaluable role in building transatlantic resilience, strength, and prosperity. As transatlantic partners continue to jointly strategize on how to deepen cooperation and counter mounting geopolitical tensions, this year’s Central Europe Week aims to highlight how the United States and Central Europe can lead in shaping responses to global challenges, while also underscoring their unique cultural and historical connections. The conference will feature high-level programming with distinguished US and European experts in Prague, Warsaw, Bratislava, and Washington DC.
Agenda
Monday, November 6
Virtual programming live from Prague
8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ET / 2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. CET A view from Prague on securing Ukraine’s European future
FEATURING
Keynote remarks: The Hon. Bijan Sabet, US Ambassador to the Czech Republic
Dr. Benedetta Berti, Head of Policy Planning, Office of the Secretary General, NATO
Amb. Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland
H.E. Jan Marian, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Amb. Oleh Shamshur, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Former Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States
Moderator: Ms. Rachel Rizzo, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council
10:00 a.m. – 10:20 a.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. CET Spotlight conversation with H.E. Martin Dvořák, Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic
FEATURING
H.E. Martin Dvořák, Minister for European Affairs of the Czech Republic
Moderator: Amb. Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland
Tuesday, November 7
Virtual programming live from Bratislava
8:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. ET / 2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. CET Economic security and resilience in Central Europe: Laying the foundation for transatlantic dynamism
FEATURING
Welcome remarks: Amb. Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland
Keynote remarks: The Hon. Gautam Rana, US Ambassador to the Slovak Republic
Mr. Jeffrey Lightfoot, Program Director, Europe, Center for International Private Enterprise; Nonresident Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council
Ms. Sona Muzikářová, Former Senior Economic Adviser to the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic; Bretton Woods 2.0 Fellow, GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
Dr. Martina Slabejová, Executive Director, AmCham Slovakia
Moderator: Mr. Vladimír Vaňo, Chief Economist, GLOBSEC
Wednesday, November 8
Virtual programming live from Warsaw
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CET Europe’s friendly-shores: Central Europe in Europe’s tech sovereignty push
FEATURING
Welcome remarks: Amb. Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland
Keynote remarks: The Hon. Mark Brzezinski, US Ambassador to the Republic of Poland
Dr. Izabela Albrycht, Director, Cybersecurity Center, AGH University of Science and Technology; Co-founder, CYBERSEC
Dr. Piotr Arak, Director, Polish Economic Institute
Mr. Michał Kanownik, President, Digital Poland Association (ZIPSEE)
Ms. Kamila Sotomska, Government Affairs and Public Policy Senior Analyst, Google
Moderator: Mr. Aaron Korewa, Director, Warsaw Office, Atlantic Council
Closing remarks: H.E. Beata Daszyńska-Muzyczka, President of the Management Board, Polish Development Bank; Special Representative to the President of the Republic of Poland for the Three Seas Initiative
Thursday, November 9
Hybrid programming live from Washington DC with in-person and virtual viewing options
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. ET Spotlight conversation with H.E. German Galushchenko, Minister of Energy of Ukraine
FEATURING
Opening remarks: Amb. John Herbst, Senior Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to Ukraine
H.E. German Galushchenko, Minister of Energy of Ukraine
Moderator: Mr. Landon Derentz, Senior Director and Richard L. Morningstar Chair for Global Energy Security, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET Spotlight conversation with The Hon. Jeanne Shaheen and The Hon. Pete Ricketts
FEATURING
Opening remarks: Mr. Ian Brzezinski, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
The Hon. Jeanne Shaheen, United States Senator (D-NH)
The Hon. Pete Ricketts, United States Senator (R-NE)
Moderator: Mr. Frederick Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council
1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET Ukraine’s fight and NATO’s future: First insights from Central Europe on the Washington Summit
FEATURING
Opening remarks: Amb. Paula Dobriansky, Vice Chair, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council; Former US Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, Senior Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project, Harvard University Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs
H.E. Jan Jireš, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic
General Douglas Lute, Chair, International and Defense, BGR Group; Former United States Permanent Representative to NATO
H.E. Kristjan Prikk, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United States
Ambassador Yuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State
Moderator: Ms. Anca Agachi, Defense Policy Analyst, RAND Corporation; Nonresident Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. ET Meeting the Moment: US-Central European partnership on the challenges of the future
FEATURING
Ms. Rita Balogh, Europe Lead, International Government Affairs, Google
Dr. Frances Burwell, Distinguished Fellow, Europe Center, Atlantic Council; Senior Director, McLarty Associates
Amb. John Herbst, Senior Director, Eurasia Center, Atlantic Council; Former US Ambassador to Ukraine
H.E. Radovan Javorčík, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United States
Moderator: Ms. Olga Khakova, Deputy Director, European Energy Security, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Speakers
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Related reading
Recap previous Central Europe Weeks
Catch up on last year’s Central Europe Week considering Central European leadership in shaping the transatlantic response to Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.
Catch up on 2021’s Central Europe Week virtual event series on the transatlantic response to global challenges ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to democratic resilience.
Check out the 2020 edition of Central Europe Week, which focused on the future of transatlantic relations after COVID-19.
In 2019, the inaugural Central Europe Week conference marked the thirty-year anniversary of the fall of communism by celebrating the future of a free Europe and its connections with the United States.
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