May 19-20 we held the Budapest Energy and Security Talks, entitled ‘WAKE UP OR BREAK UP’ Hungary’s most significant international security policy event, organized by the Equilibrium Institute in partnership with NATO Public Diplomacy Division.
In the course of the one and a half days event, more than 80 speakers from 15 countries — including such prominent voices as:
- Sebastian Gorka, Deputy Assistant to the President, Senior Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council, Washington DC
- Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defense and Space, European Commission
- Zsolt Németh, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian National Assembly
- Arnoldas Pikžirnis, Vice Minister for Energy of Lithuania
- Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy
- Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO
- Lech Wałęsa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Poland
— shared their insights on the future of transatlantic cooperation, energy security, AI, cybersecurity and global strategic challenges, joined by over 250 leading Hungarian experts and decision-makers.
The conference highlighted several key strategic areas that addressed pressing global and regional security challenges, as well as the future of transatlantic cooperation:
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Transatlantic and Global Security Policy – The future of NATO, U.S. foreign policy, the war in Ukraine, defense cooperation, and strategic alliances in the Indo-Pacific and the Western Balkans.
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European Strategic Autonomy and Defense – Europe’s defense capabilities, development of the defense industry, strategic identity, and the roles of the EU and NATO in global security.
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Energy, Climate, and Technological Transformation – Energy security, the green transition, security implications of climate change, artificial intelligence and innovation, and transatlantic technological cooperation.
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Geopolitical Shifts and Regional Dynamics – The strategic importance of Central Europe, the Western Balkans, and the Indo-Pacific, as well as the future relationship with a post-war Russia.
With this conference, the Equilibrium Institute aims to position Hungary as a key player in the Euro-Atlantic discussions on security and strategy in Central and Eastern Europe — and BESTalks 2025 marked another major step in that direction.
One of BESTalks’ core missions is to bring together decision-makers and leading experts of foreign and security policy to engage in strategic discussion and exchange on the future of Central European and Euro-Atlantic values and security discussions on the most pressing security and energy issues in shared transatlantic values.
