The United States and Central Europe: Celebrating Europe Whole and Free

Please join the Atlantic Council and GLOBSEC for our flagship conference on "The United States and Central Europe: Celebrating Europe Whole and Free, Building the Next Century Together." The event will be held on Tuesday, July 16 and Wednesday, July 17, 2019, at Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005).

In 2019 we mark several anniversaries that helped us build a Europe whole and free with Central European nations an integral part of it, including:

• one hundred years of relations between the United States and the countries of Central Europe that emerged from the horror of the First World War;
• thirty years since the overthrow of communism and the fall of the Iron Curtain;
• twenty years since the first NATO enlargement beyond the Iron Curtain; and
• fifteen years since the EU enlargement beyond the Iron Curtain and NATO's "Big Bang" expansion.

Our achievements must be celebrated but many challenges lie ahead. The conference will celebrate US-Central European relations while also galvanizing a community of leaders to strengthen these ties for the future. Furthermore, we will use this opportunity to launch a flagship report on US-Central European relations co-authored by the Atlantic Council and GLOBSEC.

 
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Welcome Remarks
Ambassador Rastislav Káčer, Chairman, GLOBSEC
Mr Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council

4:15 p.m. – 4:40 p.m.
Keynote Lecture on “The United States and Central Europe: What’s Gone Right, What’s Gone Wrong, and What’s Next”
Ambassador Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council

4:40 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Spotlight Conversation
The Honorable Chris Murphy, Member, United States Senate
Mr Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council

4:50 p.m. – 5:50 p.m.
Launch of Atlantic Council-GLOBSEC Report “The United States and Central Europe: Tasks for a Second Century Together”
H.E. Maria Magdalena Grigore, Secretary of State for Inter-Institutional Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania
H.E. Ivan Korčok, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United States
Ambassador Jakub Wiśniewski, Vice President, GLOBSEC; Director, GLOBSEC Policy Institute
Moderators: Ms Denise Forsthuber, Associate Director, Future Europe Initiative; Ms Alena Kudzko, Deputy Research Director, GLOBSEC Policy Institute

5:50 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
The Honorable Susan Collins, Member, United States Senate
The Honorable Ron Weiser**, Former US Ambassador to the Slovak Republic

6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Private Reception

6:30 p.m. – 8:30p.m.
Private Dinner Conversation on “Perspectives on American Leadership in Central Europe”
The Honorable Michael Turner, Member, United States House of Representatives
Moderator: Ambassador Marc Grossman, Vice Chairman, The Cohen Group
First Responses: General John Allen, President, The Brookings Institution; Ambassador April Foley, Chair of the Board, The Hungary Initiatives Foundation

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Registration, Media Setup and Light Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Welcome Remarks
Ambassador Rastislav Káčer, Chairman, GLOBSEC
Mr Damon Wilson, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Council

1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Armchair Conversation with Ambassador Phil Reeker: Looking Ahead, Promises and Pitfalls
Ambassador Philip T. Reeker, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, US Department of State
Moderator: Ambassador Colleen Bell**, Executive Director, California Film Commission; Former US Ambassador to Hungary

2:00 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
Identity, Values, and Democracy: What Does the West Stand For?
Mr Pavol Demeš, Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund
Ambassador Daniel Fried, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council
Ms Anna Smith Lacey, Executive Director, The Hungary Initiatives Foundation
Moderator: Ms Molly Montgomery, Vice President, Europe, Albright Stonebridge Group

3:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Coffee Break

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Transatlantic Cooperation in an Era of Great Power Competition
Mr Benjamin Haddad, Director, Future Europe Initiative, Atlantic Council
Mr Frederick Kempe**, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council
Ambassador Kurt Volker, Executive Director, McCain Institute; US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations
Moderator: Ms Sally Painter**, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Blue Star Strategies

4:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Coffee Break

4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Town Hall Conversation: Building a Transatlantic Agenda to Secure the Next Century
H.E. Jacek Czaputowicz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland
H.E. Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary
H.E. Aleš Chmelař, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Moderator: Ambassador Paula Dobriansky**, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government; Former Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs

5:45 p.m. – 5:55 p.m.
Closing Reflections on The US and Central Europe
Ambassador Rastislav Káčer, Chairman, GLOBSEC
Mr Frederick Kempe**, President and Chief Executive Officer, Atlantic Council

5:55 p.m. – 6:10 p.m.
Closing Remarks and Reception Welcome Address
H.E. Miroslav Lajčák, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic

6:10 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Public Reception Co-hosted with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic