More than fifty high-level personalities gathered in Brussels for the second edition of the Conclave, which delved into the main challenges Europe faces in topics such as defense, competitiveness and new resources. The Conclave was powered by EuropaNova and co-organised with the support of multiple organisations, including Re-Imagine Europa.
The second edition of the Conclave took place at the BELvue Museum, in Brussels, from January 17th to 19th, bringing together a wide and diversified community of transdisciplinary and transgenerational European personalities to exchange perspectives and analyse the main challenges that Europe faces. The event is quite timely due with the beginning of the second Trump administration and the European upcoming launch of the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass. In the introductory remarks, Erika Staël von Holstein highlighted how timely and critical the discussion is, aiming to conventional assumptions and exploring the trajectory of Europe’s future in a rapidly evolving global context because “the logic of yesterday is gone, and we don’t know what the logic of tomorrow will be”.
The Conclave distinguishes itself as a unique space where more than fifty leading European personalities, including former prime-ministers, former European Commissioners, thinkers, business entrepreneurs, scientists, innovators, decision-makers and policymakers, engage directly with each other. Present during the debates was the new President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
Central to the Conclave was problem-solving; participants not only pinpointed critical issues but also evaluated existing solutions, aiming to formulate long-term strategic proposals that have until now been overlooked. The key topics discussed in this editions were “Geopolitics, including Defense and Security”, “Science and Technology as key drivers of Competitiveness” and “Funding European ambitions, Narrative and Leadership”. The objective is to develop a strategic agenda focused on preserving Europe’s democratic integrity and its people’s common good, addressing essential imperatives for the future. To this end, the recommendations of the Conclave will be published in a detailed report and briefing notes, aiming to contribute to shape the strategic agenda of the European Council and the European Commission.
As part of the official programme of the Conclave, a public intercontinental conference was held on “What relations should we envisage with Europe by 2040?”, with contributions of European, American, Chinese, Indian and Moroccan thinkers and concluding remarks of Alexander De Croo, Prime Minister of Belgium. Erika Staël von Holstein, Chief Executive of Re-Imagine Europa and board member of the Conclave, moderated a panel on “EU: A Respected Geopolitical Power?” that aimed to challenge conventional assumptions and explore the trajectory of Europe’s future in a rapidly evolving global context.
