For the Third Time, the Equilibrium Institute Put Budapest on the Map of International Strategic Dialogue
On 13–14 July 2026, we organised the Budapest Energy and Security Talks (BeSTalks), our international conference on foreign, security and energy policy, for the third time. Held in strategic partnership with NATO, the event once again brought leading representatives of the international strategic community to Budapest.
The Equilibrium Institute launched BeSTalks in 2024 with the aim of creating a major international forum in Hungary that directly connects Hungarian decision-makers and experts in foreign, security and energy policy with leading representatives of the international policy community.
The third BeSTalks confirmed that this platform is needed more than ever. At a time when Europe is simultaneously facing security, geopolitical, economic, energy and technological challenges, forums that provide space for open, evidence-based and forward-looking strategic dialogue are particularly important.
High-Level Hungarian and International Participation
During the two-day conference, high-ranking Hungarian and international decision-makers, ministers, state secretaries, senior officials of international organisations, former government officials, diplomats, researchers and renowned experts discussed the most important issues shaping the future of Europe and the transatlantic community.
The distinguished speakers at BeSTalks 2026 included:
- Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Poland;
- Anita Orbán, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary, who addressed participants in a video message;
- Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, Minister of Defence of Hungary;
- Zoltán Tanács, Minister for Science and Technology of Hungary;
- Javier Colomina, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy;
- Marko Primorac, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank;
- Levent Gümrükçü, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye;
- Marcin Bosacki, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland;
- Sebastian Hartmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Defence;
- Krisztián Mészáros, Hungary’s State Secretary for Multilateral Affairs;
- Klára Breuer, Hungary’s State Secretary for Bilateral Relations;
- Péter Horváth, Hungary’s State Secretary for Science Policy and Innovation;
- András Tótth, Hungary’s State Secretary for Energy;
- Andrea Polereczki, Hungary’s State Secretary for Digital Affairs;
- Balázs Horváth, Deputy State Secretary for Water Affairs;
- János Szőnyegi, Deputy State Secretary for Defence Development and Defence Policy;
- Tomáš Petříček, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic;
- Miroslav Wlachovský, former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia;
- Tibor Kapu, research astronaut;
- and Jill Dougherty, internationally recognised expert on Russia, former CNN correspondent and distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center.
Connecting Budapest to the International Policy Community
BeSTalks provides an opportunity for the most important international policy debates to take place in Budapest, for Hungarian experts and decision-makers to connect directly with international professional networks, and for Hungary’s perspectives to become visible to leading opinion-shapers across the Euro-Atlantic community.
Discussions at the conference focused on European security, the geopolitical situation of Central and Eastern Europe, energy security, the future of nuclear energy, technological transformation, and the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
Over the course of three years, BeSTalks has become more than a conference: it has developed into a lasting international strategic platform. The event contributes to strengthening Budapest’s regional role, expanding the international connections of Hungary’s policy community, and fostering meaningful dialogue on shared European and transatlantic challenges.
We are deeply grateful to our partners for their support and trust: NATO, European Climate Foundation, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Wilfried Martens Centre, Newpush, CEC Group, Casla Institute, European Initiative for Energy Security, ENODA, UNIMOT, European Investment Bank, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, SGE, Google, Atlantic Council, Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Capital European Affairs, Hudson, HBLF, Khayrion, Hungarian Atlantic Council, Millennium Strategy, OSW, RAND Europe, The Heritage Foundation and the Wilson Center.
Our partner embassy: Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Hungary
