The current global environment is characterised by geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty and rapid technological transformation. These developments underscore the importance of strengthening resilience, competitiveness and strategic cooperation within the European Union and with international partners. In this evolving landscape, Cyprus contributes to collective European efforts aimed at promoting stability, resilience and sustainable growth

CEOs Panel Discussion

Business in a Fragmented World: What geopolitical tensions, economic shifts, energy transformation and technological disruption mean for business strategy.

• What are the major economic trends influencing business strategy and growth in 2027?
• How have global geopolitical and economic shifts changed the way companies make strategic decisions today?
• What is the single biggest strategic risk your organisation is preparing for 2027?
• AI and the Future of Competitive Advantage: Is AI a threat or opportunity? How is your organization deploying AI?

Leadership Fireside Chat

Drawing on John Christodoulou’s experience of building and investing across international markets, this conversation will explore how entrepreneurs identify opportunities, manage risk and create long-term value in uncertain times.

Panel Discussion

The panel will examine geopolitical rivalries, regional conflicts, shifting alliances, the future of the transatlantic relationship and the principal international development leaders should prepare for in 2027.

• How are geopolitical rivalries, regional conflicts and shifting alliances redefining international order and global stability?
• Is the world moving towards a new international order, and what might it look like by 2027 and beyond?
• USA – EU: How will the transatlantic partnership evolve in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment?
• Strategic Competition in the 21^st Century: China, the West and the New Global Order
• What is the single most important geopolitical development business and political leaders should be preparing for 2027

We live in times of global disruption and the fundamentals on which European integration was premised for decades are no longer. Can Europe adjust to an unstable, anarchic and asymmetrical world and hence be able to effectively defend common interests and values? And what, if not? Europe becoming a political adult constitutes an existential challenge.

With the Eastern Mediterranean facing a combination of longstanding and emerging—often asymmetric—threats and challenges, and with polycrisis increasingly becoming the region’s “new normality” instability and conflict may appear increasingly difficult to avoid. What would it realistically take to promote stability and achieve meaningful cooperation, particularly in the field of energy? What roles can and should the EU, the United States, and NATO play? And what should political and business leaders in Greece and Cyprus be preparing for as they look towards the Eastern Mediterranean of 2027 and beyond?

The Eastern Mediterranean is being reshaped by shifting power balances, regional wars, energy competition and new strategic alignments. Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel and Egypt are adapting to a more fragmented security environment, while the United States, Europe and other external powers redefine their regional roles. Energy routes, maritime competition, connectivity and defence partnerships, and migration flows are redrawing the geopolitical map, generating new patterns of cooperation, rivalry, risk and strategic opportunity.

Europe faces a defining strategic moment as geopolitical fragmentation, renewed great-power rivalry, and shifting transatlantic commitments challenge its ability to act. How can the European Union translate economic weight and political ambition into credible foreign policy, defence capacity, and strategic leadership. Given the many institutional constraints, divisions between member states, and emerging opportunities, what must the members of the EU family do to become a more capable, cohesive, and influential actor in an increasingly uncertain world?

Following the covid pandemic, the Ukraine war and its impact on commodity markets and high inflation, and continuing crisis in the Middle East, the global economy faces challenges that spread across the energy markets, the financial system and artificial intelligence technologies. New policy priorities emerge for Europe, in view of its productivity deficit, demographic trends and geopolitical developments.

Population ageing poses profound challenges to Europe’s growth prospects, labour markets and pension systems—and is rapidly becoming a global phenomenon. Yet demographic destiny need not imply economic decline. Faster productivity growth, increasingly supported by artificial intelligence, longer and healthier working lives, and well-managed migration can all help economies adapt. The challenge is formidable, but with appropriate policies and technological progress, ageing societies can remain prosperous and resilient.

Panel Discussion

The discussion will examine European competitiveness, investment, fiscal responsibility, monetary stability and the implications of EU economic policy for smaller Member States such as Cyprus.

Panel Discussion

The discussion will examine how geopolitics, AI, energy transformation and demographic change are reshaping global investment flows and the sectors expected to attract capital over the next five years.

The East Mediterranean gas market is increasingly interconnected but remains strategically fragile. Egypt dominates regional infrastructure despite its gas deficit; Cyprus has substantial resources but limited leverage; Recent wars exposed vulnerabilities. The central challenge is whether the region can diversify export routes while preserving cooperation, security and flexibility.