GALAȚI SECURITY FORUM
12-13 November, 2025
Expertise • Cooperation • Resilience
Expertise – Because sound strategic decisions are based on deep knowledge, rigorous research and multidisciplinary analyses. The Forum promotes critical thinking and the exchange of ideas between local and international experts in a highly professional setting.
Cooperation – Because security cannot be conceived in isolation. The Forum creates real bridges between institutions, states and fields of specialization, facilitating dialogue between regional and international partners, in a spirit of openness and mutual trust.
Resilience – Because the challenges of the future require adaptable systems, informed communities, and the ability to respond effectively to multiple crises, including war, migration, energy, and digital security. The Forum encourages integrated, pragmatic approaches focused on sustainability and recovery capacity.
In a period characterized by geopolitical instability, multidimensional crises and accelerating global strategic competition, European security is becoming not just a topical issue, but an existential priority. The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine marked a turning point in the post-Cold War international order, forcing European actors to reassess defense paradigms, response capacity and the level of convergence between Euro-Atlantic projects. This conference is part of an effort to engage in strategic reflection and provides an academic and institutional platform for analysis, dialogue, and regional projection.
Global context
Globally, the balance of power is undergoing accelerated rebalancing. The dynamics between the great powers – the United States, China, and Russia – are generating significant spillover effects for Europe, especially in its eastern region, where strategic competition overlaps with historical, institutional, and economic vulnerabilities. The emergence of new theatres of conflict (including in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific), increasing pressure on the multilateral order, and the instrumentalisation of resources (energy, technology, migration) as weapons of influence are transforming European security into an increasingly complex equation.
At the same time, technological advances and digital expansion are generating emerging risks – from cyberattacks on critical infrastructures to information manipulation and the use of artificial intelligence in areas with strategic impact. Climate change and food or energy crises complete the picture of an increasingly interdependent yet increasingly fragmented international system.
Regional context
Central and Eastern Europe, together with the extended Black Sea area, are becoming the gravitational center of these transformations. Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and the Western Balkans are in physical and strategic proximity to a significant conflict, and the tensions between Euro-Atlantic solidarity and illiberal or authoritarian influences are increasing pressure on the states in the region. Here, not only strategic interests but also institutional modelling alternatives meet: European Union enlargement versus stagnant reforms, democratic reconstruction versus geo-economic competition.
This area is also the laboratory for new cooperation formats, including the Three Seas Initiative, Bucharest 9, the Weimar Triangle, and the expansion of NATO partnerships. At the same time, it remains an area for testing the European projection and response capacity: how can the reconstruction of Ukraine be supported, what does real resilience mean for the Republic of Moldova, and how can a sustainable Eastern European security and development corridor be established?
Purpose of the conference
The purpose of the conference is to bring together representatives from the academic, diplomatic, institutional and private sectors to generate an applied, rigorous and solution-oriented debate on the security of Eastern Europe. By analyzing geopolitical, energy, technological and institutional interdependencies, the event aims to contribute to the articulation of strategic directions relevant to the future of the continent and for Euro-Atlantic cohesion.
Why Galați?
The city of Galați is not only an important university and economic center of Romania, but also a key point in the new regional security map. Located at the confluence of the Danube and the eastern borders of the European Union, Galați is becoming a symbol of the intersection of geopolitics, trade, the environment, and connectivity. Its proximity to the Republic of Moldova, its direct connection to Black Sea ports, and its logistical potential make it an ideal space for strategic reflection and cross-border cooperation.
The organisation of the conference in Galați is therefore not only symbolic but also deeply relevant. Here, the pressure of geopolitics is felt, as is the opportunity to build resilience and cohesion.
This conference is not just a moment of analysis, but a call to action. In a time of fragmentation and ideological and geoeconomic competitions, Europe needs to find its strategic voice again, to support vulnerable partners and to invest in mechanisms of absolute security and solidarity. Beyond borders, but at the heart of democratic values, Galați becomes, through this conference, a bridge between expertise, decision-making and shared responsibility.
- INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS -
Institution of the Prefect of Galati County
Galati County Council
Galati City Hall
- MEDIA PARTNER -
