The Riga Conference 2019 will take place on October 11 and 12. This year, it attracts many governments leaders, thought leaders from Europe, and USA. As usual, President and Prime Minister of Latvia will open and conclude the conference.
Dr Artis Pabriks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia,
Ms Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Federal Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany
Mr Peter Hultquist, Minister for Defence of the Kingdom of the Sweden
will speak at PLENERY SESSION: COMPREHENSIVE & COLLECTIVE – BUILDING THE FOUNDATION OF NATO’S FUTURE DEFENCE
For 70 years, NATO has successfully adapted to changing political landscapes to maintain peace for its members. As the number of vulnerable domains increases, the Alliance’s collective defence must adapt once more. For decades comprehensive defence has been seen as a strategy for non-aligned countries. Soon this will no longer be the case. How will the comprehensive defence efforts of several allies strengthen the Alliance? How can a comprehensive strategy best complement the collective approach?
Dr Vaira Vīķe – Freiberga, President of the Club de Madrid, former President of the Republic of Latvia
Dr Andreas Norlén, Speaker of the Riksdag
Dr Constanze Stelzenmüller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
Mr Arseniy Yatsenyuk, former Prime Minister of Ukraine
will speak at PLENARY SESSION: ELITES LOSING THEIR ELECTORATE?
National elections in Western and Eastern Europe show growing support for FN, AfD and similar new populist parties. Political elites who for a long time led the European integration project, the EU accession process, and immigration policy are losing their grassroots supporters. Increasingly elite parties are distrusted in countries like Germany, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine among others. How will this development influence European policy in general? How will EU institutions like the European Parliament, European Council or Commission be affected? Will Europe become inward looking and mercantilist to appease the dissatisfaction amplified by new populist parties?
Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Co-Founder of the Boston Global Forum will be a speaker of the Riga Conference 2019, at Planery Session “ Political Power in the Digital Age “.
The power of technology in the digital age is increasing day by day. Algorithms decide what information we are exposed to, what we should buy, or who we should follow. We can observe the political process increasingly playing out in the digital arena. The democratic need to find a careful balance between censorship and free speech increasingly clashes with the business models and policies of powerful, private social media platforms used by millions of users. What risks do technologies of the digital age pose to the traditional policy making process and political power?