On September 30, 2025, the fourth annual Transatlantic Forum on Geoeconomics, hosted by the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, Europe Center, and the Atlantik-Brücke, will convene senior policymakers, business leaders, and experts in Brussels to reimagine US-European coordination and cooperation at the nexus of trade, national security, and technology.
This year’s conference will take place one year into European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s renewed mandate and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s term. It will feature senior representatives from the Trump administration and private-sector leaders from both sides of the Atlantic.
The objective of this year’s forum is to anchor the US-European relationship, which is beset by headwinds including division over the war in Ukraine, trade tensions, and disagreements over the future of defense and military spending.
The conference will also discuss the following topics:
- Triangulating on trade
- Transatlantic AI and competitiveness
- Funding European defense
- The dollar and the euro
Due to exceptionally high interest, in-person registration for the Transatlantic Forum is now closed. Online registration remains open.
Please reach out to us at transatlanticforum@atlanticcouncil.org with any questions.
Keynote speakers
Speakers
What to expect
Agenda
Agenda will be updated as we finalize programming. All times listed are in Central European Time (CET).
8:00 a.m. | Registration and breakfast
8:45 a.m. | Opening remarks
Sigmar Gabriel, Former Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany | Chairman, Atlantik-Brücke
Fred Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council
9:00 a.m. | Keynote conversation with Maroš Šefčovič
Speech and fireside chat on the future of transatlantic trade and anchoring economic security in the US-EU relationship.
Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, European Commission
Moderator: Jörn Fleck, Senior Director of the Europe Center, Atlantic Council
9:25 a.m. | Triangulating on trade: The way forward after Scotland
Moderated panel discussion exploring the current trade conflicts, related to tariffs and deficits, and interdependencies between the US, the EU, and China.
Elizabeth Baltzan, Former Senior Advisor to the USTR | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Hans-Peter Fricke, Chief Executive Officer, Fricke Group
Anahita Thoms, Partner and Head of Germany’s International Practice, Baker McKenzie
Stephen Vaughn, Former Acting US Trade Representative | Partner, King and Spalding
Moderator: Josh Lipsky, Chair of International Economics and Senior Director of the GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
10:10 a.m. | Points of vulnerability: Rare earths, semiconductors, and energy
Moderated panel discussion examining strategic supply chain vulnerabilities — ranging from semiconductors to rare earths, critical minerals, clean energy components, and steel.
Jonathan Black, Deputy National Security Adviser & Former G7 and G20 Sherpa
Cabinet Office, United Kingdom
Eddie Fishman, Senior Research Scholar, Columbia University | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
David Müller, Head of Transformational Strategy and BD, Merck Electronics
Kai Alexander Müller, Chief Financial Officer, PowerCo SE
Moderator: Saleha Mohsin, Senior Washington Correspondent, Bloomberg
11:00 a.m. | Keynote conversation with Ambassador Matthew Whitaker
Fireside chat outlining the expectations of the US government towards European NATO members to fulfill the newly implemented percent goal and unpacking what’s at stake for the alliance.
Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO, US Mission to NATO
Moderator: Fred Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council
11:25 a.m. | Spotlight on steel
Moderated panel discussion on the trade dynamics shaping today’s steel industry—examining the main challenges, policy shifts, and opportunities that lie ahead.
Jürgen Großmann, Partner, Georgsmarienhütte Holding GmbH
Guido Kerkhoff, Chief Executive Officer, Klöckner & Co SE
Moderator: Dan Mullaney, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
11:45 a.m. | Funding European defense: The path to five percent
Moderated panel discussion covering how to leverage far more sources of private capital compared to public state funding when it comes to investing into defense industry capabilities of R&D and production.
Jens Bodo Koch, Chief Executive Officer, Heckler & Koch AG
Tomas Pojar, National Security Advisor, Czech Republic
Mujtaba Rahman, Managing Director for Europe, Eurasia Group
Nils Schmid, Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Defense
Moderator: Charles Lichfield, Deputy Director, Atlantic Council
1:00 p.m. | Lunch session: The future of cross-border payments
Main stage discussion during lunch on the future of cross-border payments.
Maria Demertzis, Leader of the Economic Strategy and Finance Program, The Conference Board Europe
Jennifer Fowler, Member of the Secretariat, Financial Stability Board
Candace Kelly, Chief Legal Officer, Stellar Development Foundation
Jesse McWaters, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Policy, Mastercard
Moderator: Ananya Kumar, Deputy Director, Atlantic Council
1:30 p.m. | Lunch session: New challenges in sanctions enforcement
Main stage discussion during lunch on the future of cross-border payments.
Saleha Mohsin, Senior Washington Correspondent, Bloomberg
David O’Sullivan, Sanctions Envoy, European Union
Dan Tannebaum, Partner and Global Anti-Financial Crime Practice Leader, Oliver Wyman | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Moderator: Daniel Fried, Former US Ambassador to Poland | Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council
2:00 p.m. | Keynote conversation with Ambassador Andrew Puzder
Speech and fireside chat on the priorities of the new US ambassador to the European Union, and expectations for the future of the US-EU relationship across transatlantic trade, security and defense policy, and more.
Ambassador Andrew Puzder, US Ambassador to the EU, US Mission to the EU
Moderator: Fred Kempe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council
2:20 p.m. | Innovation versus regulation: A transatlantic AI race
Moderated panel discussion exploring how the US and Europe are approaching AI governance, the impact on competitiveness, and what’s at stake in the global race to lead in emerging technologies.
Marco-Alexander Breit, Director General Digital Policy and Economy, German Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Government Modernization
Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy and Operations, Circle
Michael Hüther, Director & Member of the Presidium, German Economic Institute (IW)
Jens Wiese, Managing Partner, Leitmotif
Moderator: Suzanne Lynch, Brussels Bureau Chief, Bloomberg News
3:05 p.m. | Keynote conversation with Teresa Ribera
Speech and fireside chat examining the European Union’s approach to Artificial Intelligence and future of European competitiveness in the digital and tech arena.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, European Commission
3:30 p.m. | Keynote conversation with Valdis Dombrovskis
Speech and fireside chat outlining Europe’s geoeconomic strategy with a special focus on productivity and competitiveness.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, European Commission
Moderator: Julia Friedlander, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantik-Brücke
3:55 p.m. | The Euro’s global moment: Why this time is different
Moderated panel discussion analyzing whether we observe a significant shift in the relationship between the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency and the Euro as important, but limited currency, especially due to the lack of a capital market union.
Andreas Dombret, Former Board Member Deutsche Bundesbank | Global Senior Advisor, Oliver Wyman
Dan McDowell, Professor, Syracuse University | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Martin Mühleisen, Former IMF Director Strategy, Policy, and Review | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Elizabeth Shortino, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal | Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council
Moderator: Josh Lipsky, Chair of International Economics and Senior Director of the GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
4:45 p.m. | Closing remarks
Wrapping up the fourth Transatlantic Forum, the first in the European capital, and looking ahead to edition five which will take place in the US.
Jörn Fleck, Senior Director of the Europe Center, Atlantic Council
Julia Friedlander, Chief Executive Officer, Atlantik-Brücke
Josh Lipsky, Chair of International Economics and Senior Director of the GeoEconomics Center, Atlantic Council
Coverage of previous forums
2024 Conference publications
Related content
See key highlights from our past forums in New York, Frankfurt, and Berlin.
Stay connected
Sign up below to receive updates on related events, analysis, and more from the GeoEconomics Center.
Media Partner
Conference Partners
Explore the programs
Atlantik-Brücke
Strengthening the exchange between politics and business, Atlantik-Brücke aims to deepen cooperation between Germany, Europe and America on all levels.
At the intersection of economics, finance, and foreign policy, the GeoEconomics Center is a translation hub with the goal of helping shape a better global economic future.
The Europe Center promotes leadership, strategies, and analysis to ensure a strong, ambitious, and forward-looking transatlantic relationship.
Follow us on social media