Three prime ministers, senior European officials, ministers and business leaders discuss the future and security of Europe in Bucharest, at the Economist Romania Government Roundtable
Prime Ministers Ilie Bolojan – Romania, Alexandru Munteanu – Republic of Moldova and Edi Rama – Albania, Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, EU rapporteur for the future of the common market, former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Lettaare among the political leaders who will participate in the high-level regional conference Economist Romania Government Roundtable, organized by The Economist editorial group, for the first time in Bucharest, between March 30 and April 1, 2026.
The event organized with the support RCI Holding aims to create a high-level regional dialogue platform, where those responsible in leadership positions in the states of the area and in the European structures can debate with the leaders of the business environment the trends and perspectives for the European Union and the region, in key areas such as infrastructure, energy, digitalization, AI. Regional and transatlantic security will also be on the agenda.
The three prime ministers will open proceedings on the second day of the conference, on March 31, at the Marriott Hotel. In a session moderated by Joan Hoey, editor of the Democracy Index and European consultant to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the three heads of government will be invited to talk about how Europe can ensure its security and enhance its stability, growth and cohesion. Other topics on the agenda are regional perspectives on EU defense and security, as well as the state in which the Republic of Moldova and Albania are in the EU accession process.
The Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, is invited to speak on March 31 about how the consolidation solutions that the European Union has, to face challenges such as geopolitical uncertainty, energy security, economic pressures, migration and political fragmentation.
Enrico Letta, the EU rapporteur for the future of the common market, will speak on the first day of the conference, on March 30, at the Romanian Athenaeum. In dialogue with Alasdair Ross, editor on global affairs, economics, strategy and risk at The Economist publication, Enrico Letta is invited to discuss the strategic vision for strengthening the common market, with a focus on financial integration, providing affordable and sustainable energy and accelerating innovation, given the need for reforms to increase competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy until 2028.
Agenda change: Professor Daron Acemoglu will talk about the impact of the transformations of Western democracies on the US and Europe
Enrico Letta's intervention will complete the opening session on March 30, during which the Nobel laureate for economics, Daron Acemoglu, the governor of the BNR, Mugur Isărescu, the governor of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, will speak.
Compared to the previous announcement, the agenda of the opening session has been slightly modifiedto give more space to the discussion on the financial and political challenges facing the world today. Thus, the governor of the BNR, Mugur Isărescu, and the governor of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, will discuss how international disruptions are affecting business and consumer sentiment in the economies of Southeast Europe. Afterwards, Professor Daron Acemoglu will address the transformation of Western democracies and the implications for the United States and Europe.
Extensive participation
The public can participate, by reserving a place at the link: https://the-economist-impact-events.idloom.events/romania-government-roundtable. Available places are limited.
The official opening will be at The Romanian Athenaeum, on March 30. On March 31 – April 1 there will be plenary sessions and thematic debates at JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel. Athe conference agenda can be tracked at this linkas it updates.
Numerous business leaders have confirmed their participation, including: Ömer Tetik, CEO of Banca Transilvania; Alessio Menegazzo, CEO & country manager at PPC Romania; Iwona Sikora, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Europe & South Africa, Iron Mountain; Robert Hanea, founder, president and CEO of Therme Group; Ionuț Stanimir, chief brand officer, Romanian Commercial Bank (BCR); Alexandros Exarchou, President & CEO, AKTOR Group of Companies; Cristian Erbasu, CEO, Erbasu Constructions, president of the Federation of Constructors; Volker Raffel, general manager, E.ON Romania; Mehmet Burak Vardan, Chairman of the Board, CCN Holding; Ondrej Safar, Country Manager, Evryo; Nicholas Richard, CEO, ENGIE Romania and president of CCIFER; Georgiana Miron, member of the executive committee, Groupama; Fady Chreih, CEO, Queen Mary; Corneliu Bodea, CEO, ADREM; Răzvan Iorgu, managing director, CBRE; Radu Vasile, CEO, Eximprod Engineering; Manolis Sigalas, President Europe, Hill International; Mihaela Bîtu, CEO, ING Bank; Marcel Cobuz, CEO, TITAN Group; Bogdan Badea, CEO, SPEEH Hidroelectrica; Cosmin Ghiță, CEO, SN Nuclearelectrica; Răzvan Popescu, CEO, SNGN Romgaz; Alexandru Chiriță, CEO, Electrica.
Background information
Economist Impact Events in SE Europeofficially represented by Hazlis & Rivas Group, has been organizing since 1996 high-level government roundtables and benchmark summits throughout the South-East European region, bringing together heads of state, opinion leaders, Nobel Prize laureates, business leaders and international institutions, for relevant and in-depth debates on a wide range of topics. The Economist Impact Events, through its official representative Hazlis & Rivas, is active on both sides of the Atlantic, organizing international events in New York, London, Berlin, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Vienna, as well as regionally, holding summits in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Malta, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia, under the global brand of trust and editorial integrity of The Economist.
The Economist Romania Government Roundtable 2026 is organized in partnership with RCI Holdingthe official partner for Romania and Moldova. Founded in 2000, RCI Holding is a multinational group with headquarters in Bucharest and operations in over 20 countries. The group includes 21 companies active in critical infrastructure, energy markets, consulting, technology and digital services, managing over €25 billion in CAPEX, delivering over 3,000 projects and generating an annual turnover of €75 million.
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