site.btaUPDATED Sofia Hosts Five-Day Green Transition Forum

More than 3,500 high-ranking representatives from over 30 countries across Europe, Asia and North America will take part in a five-day forum titled "Green Transition Forum 5.0: Competitiveness and Innovation in the CEE Region," which begins on Monday. The forum at Sofia Event Center will run until June 20, said the organizers, Green Transition Forum and Dir.bg.

BTA is a media partner of the event.

The participants are EU commissioners, ministers, MEPs, a Nobel Prize laureate, and top executives from global corporations.

Attendees will discuss all aspects of the green transition, from competitiveness and energy security, to sustainable finance, clean industry and digitalization, to blue and circular economy, cybersecurity, smart cities, agro innovation and women's entrepreneurship.

On June 17, Prof. Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2024, will deliver a public lecture as part of the forum, titled "Who Will Own the Future?"

Following is the programme of the forum:

June 16: Economic transformation and competitiveness

Roxana Minzatu, European Commission Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness, will moderate a panel on the Clean Industrial Deal and building skills for the green economy. With extensive experience in workforce development and social justice, she will discuss key measures to integrate digital and green competencies and to reduce red tape for European manufacturing.

Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute, will hold a high-level discussion with business leaders. In April 2024, he published a report on the future of the EU Single Market, titled "More Than a Single Market." In it, Letta identifies many of the most pressing issues and offers possible solutions, from high-speed rail lines, space investments and a more unified health sector to everyday efforts to improve EU law-making processes.

June 17: Energy security and geopolitics

The focus will be on interconnectors and energy storage systems. Among the speakers are Bulgarian Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov and Kumi Kitamori, Deputy Director for Environment at the OECD. Prof. Daron Acemoglu will give a public talk and a masterclass on the future of the economy. At a time when artificial intelligence and automation challenge traditional labour markets, Prof. Acemoglu, author of "Why Nations Fail" and "Power and Progress", will highlight both the dark and bright sides of technological progress.

June 18: Sustainable finance and circular economy

In the panel on scaling investments and ESG strategy, Delyan Dobrev, Chair of the parliamentary Energy Committee, and Iliyana Tsanova, Deputy Director-General at DG Budget of the European Commission, will talk about ways for attracting private capital and developing new financial instruments essential for green growth.

June 19: Clean industry, Black Sea water policies, and sustainable agriculture

Key participants include Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Teresa Ribera, European Commission Executive Vice-President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. Topics will range from the decarbonization of industry to the sustainable management of water resources in the Black Sea region, and the future of agriculture.

June 20: Innovation, startups, women's entrepreneurship, and higher education

The final day of the forum will bring together discussions on innovation as a driver of competitiveness, digitalization and startup ecosystems, the European Female Founders Summit, and the transformation of higher education through new learning models and university teaching approaches. Ekaterina Zaharieva, the Bulgarian Commissioner responsible for startups, research and innovation, will take part in a panel on "Innovation as a Cornerstone of EU and CEE Competitiveness."