2020 Bled Strategic Forum – Challenges and Opportunities in the Post-COVID–19 World

Neighbours – Regions – Global World: Partners or Rivals?

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected societies and economies around the globe and has permanently reshaped the world as we know it. If we wish to create a resilient and sustainable global community capable of responding to the challenges of the 21st century, the reinvention of our societies is inevitable. The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed many of the vulnerabilities of the current global system, and its consequences will disrupt just about every area of our lives.

We are entering an unprecedented era of crisis management. In these challenging times, with global response inefficient and inadequate, we are seeing a renewed shift in the international community towards enhanced neighbourly and regional cooperation and a need for new initiatives. The pandemic has clearly revealed the issues and problems that effective multilateralism is facing and brought to the forefront different concepts of international cooperation. Good neighbourly relations and robust regional initiatives will play a significant role in redefining and reinventing the way the global community faces new and asymmetrical threats in the future.

Emerging regional groupings, such as the Three Seas Initiative, open up new opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe to bridge infrastructural gaps in the fields of energy, mobility, and digitalisation, undertake strategic investment projects, and strengthen transatlantic cooperation. In this context, artificial intelligence and digitalisation, in particular, have untapped potential to become a game-changer in helping us reinvent society in a sustainable manner.

The European Union finds itself in the midst of these changes, and our ability to understand, adapt to and mitigate them will determine our future political, security, and economic outreach. In this new reality, the EU needs to lead by example and promote as well as safeguard these values, which have enabled us to prosper and develop as a groundbreaking project, redefining relations between states, regions, and societies.

The 15th Bled Strategic Forum took place on 31 August 2020 in Bled, Slovenia under the title ‘Challenges and Opportunities in the Post-COVID–19 World; Neighbours – Regions – Global World: Partners or Rivals?’.

Check out the BSF 2020 Gallery!

The story of BSF

 In 2006, the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) was launched with a vision to bring together decision-makers from different fields, to encourage open debate on contemporary political, security and development challenges, and to search for new ideas and solutions.

Bled Strategic Forum is a project of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. It is organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and the Centre for European Perspective.

In all the years since, we have had the privilege of meeting many new friends and partners and have built new relationships in many different fields. The complex and interdisciplinary challenges of today’s globalised world require comprehensive solutions, which the BSF and its participants have never been afraid of bringing up and discussing. As such, the BSF gives a voice to differing positions, views and understandings of the topics that require the attention of the wider international community.

With the ever-changing global situation, the BSF remains determined to strive towards innovative thinking and forward-looking visions. It is our hope that the Forum will continue to grow, evolve and influence various policy agendas and solutions of tomorrow.

 

VIDEO GALLERY

 

BSF 2024 – A World of Parallel Realities

Za novico v slovenskem jeziku kliknite tu. The 19th International Conference Bled Strategic Forum will take place in Bled on 2 and 3 September. This year’s event is titled “A World of Parallel Realities”. The focus of the Bled Strategic Forum 2024 will be a call to...

Young Bled Strategic Forum 2024 applications open

We are happy to announce that the Young Bled Strategic Forum 2024 (Young BSF 2024) applications are open! Young Bled Strategic Forum is a unique meeting place for young leaders, offering them a platform to share their visions, exchange ideas and network with other...

Announcing the title of the Bled Strategic Forum international conference 2024

The 19th Bled Strategic Forum International Conference, titled' A World of Parallel Realities,' will take place between 2 and 3 September 2024. Within the framework of the title, the thematic focus of the Bled Strategic Forum 2024 will call for cooperation for the...

CEP’s Roundtable on the Role of Slovenia as a UN Security Council Non-permanent Member 2024-2025: Perspectives and Priorities

On Tuesday, December 12th, the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) hosted a roundtable discussion titled 'The Republic of Slovenia as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council 2024–2025: Streamlining our Approach Toward Common Objectives.' The event took...

Bled Strategic Forum team at CEP is looking for reinforcements!

CEP is looking for a dynamic and resourceful individual willing to join Bled Strategic Forum team and contribute to the success of the leading conference in Central and South-Eastern Europe and other BSF events. Are you ready to take on a pivotal role in the execution...

Mitigating our Butterfly Effect within societies towards a positive effect

Ljubljana and Bled, Slovenia, once more hosted young leaders within the activities of the Young Bled Strategic Forum and Bled Strategic Forum. More than 40 young perspective leaders from 25 countries (Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...

Representatives of WB media and civil society meet at Bled Strategic Forum 2023

On 28 August 2023, Western Balkans media and civil society representatives gathered at the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum for a roundtable discussion, 'The Line Is(n't) Thin: Fact v. Opinion, Regulation v. Censorship'. Joining the discussion was a Deutsche Welle...

Mitigating our Butterfly Effect – We are kicking off the 12th Young Bled Strategic Forum

Cooperation, dialogue and youth empowerment will hold the central stage within the Young Bled Strategic Forum, organised at Ljubljana and Bled from 25th August until 28th August 2023. The activities will gather more than 40 young leaders from 5 continents, and experts...

Representatives of Western Balkan media and civil society are joining a roundtable discussion on the margins of the Bled Strategic Forum, on 28 August

Kliknite tukaj za branje prispevka v slovenskem jeziku. Project Strengthening Societal Resilience and Countering Foreign Perpetrated Disinformation has invited twelve representatives of Western Balkans media and civil society organisations to join a roundtable...

Young Bled Strategic Forum 2023 – Applications open

YOUNG BSF 2023 – Mitigating our Butterfly Effect The Bled Strategic Framework is excited to announce the 12th edition of the Young Bled Strategic Forum, an interactive platform, capacity building and global network of young professionals that will be held late this...