Europuls is pleased to invite you to the 13th edition of the EUROSFAT ForumThe largest annual European affairs forum in Romania
Europuls - The Center for European Expertise, founder and coordinator of the EUROSFAT forum, is a non-governmental organization established in 2010 in Brussels by a group of young Romanian experts in the field of European affairs. The organization's mission focuses on promoting European integration in Romania and on consolidating a European public space through publications and studies, along with organizing debates, workshops and high-level conferences.
Every year, since 2013, Eurosfat marks that vital moment when Europe, in all its forms, becomes the most important topic on the Romanian agenda. We intend to continue our mission to bring the European Union closer to Romanian citizens, especially in these difficult times.
With patronage
The forum represents, year after year, a successful model in connecting Romanian citizens with the European agenda, being a forum for debate between decision-makers at European, national and local levels, civil society, journalists, the business environment and academia.
Main partner
Logistics partner
Strategic partners
EUROSFAT 2025
Organized by EUROPULS – THE EUROPEAN EXPERTISE CENTER
At the beginning of 2025, Romania will celebrate 18 years as a member of the European Union, an age that symbolizes maturity and opens the door for the country to take its place as a full participant at the table of European leaders. This milestone brings greater responsibilities: the need to make decisions, to set a clear direction, and to envision both the near and distant future. Romania’s journey to maturity has unfolded amid internal uncertainties, marked by an imperfect electoral process, and external challenges, shaped by the shifting positions of major global actors. Yet, opportunities abound, as the European Union focuses on boosting competitiveness, safeguarding citizens’ rights and well-being, enhancing skills to meet current challenges, and providing avenues for professional development.
Celebrating Romania’s coming of age in the EU means not only reflecting on past achievements but also consolidating the role the country must play on the European stage going forward. Current challenges demand swift and visionary responses from the EU, the strengthening of partnerships with the United States, and the recalibration of bilateral relations with countries sharing Romania’s values and economic interests. The question remains: will Romania sit at the leaders’ table like a teenager overlooked by elders, or will it demonstrate true maturity and assume a strategic role?
Europuls invites discussion on these critical topics at the 13th edition of the EUROSFAT Forum.
EUROSFAT 2025 – Romania marks 18 years of EU membership
On September 22, Europuls will host a special edition of EUROSFAT, dedicated to Romania’s 18 years of European Union membership. Under the high patronage of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the forum will bring together European and national leaders, experts, academics, civil society representatives, and private sector stakeholders to debate the challenges and opportunities of the next European decade.
The central themes will include sustainable transport and logistics, the future EU budget, education for new generations, implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), artificial intelligence, the green transition, and the protection of democratic pluralism. Through plenary sessions, roundtables, and workshops, EUROSFAT 2025 will reaffirm Romania’s role as a hub of European dialogue and provide participants with the opportunity to build sustainable partnerships.
XIII Edition - EUROSFAT 2025
Romania marks 18 years of EU membership
September 22, 2025 Bucharest
1
Day
35+
Speakers
8
Sessions
Registration of participants
Participants are expected to register upon arrival to receive their access badge and event materials. This is the first opportunity to meet the organizing team and prepare for the day of debates and networking.
Official opening ceremony
The event begins with the official greeting of distinguished guests, introductory speeches and the presentation of the central themes of EUROSFAT 2025.
Speakers
Prof. univ. dr. Marian Preda
Rector, University of Bucharest
E.S. Uffe A. Balslev
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark in Romania
Moderator
Tana Foarfă
Executive Director, Europuls
The live event will be broadcasted here.
Dialogue with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu
Speakers
Roxana Mînzatu
Executive Vicepresident, European Commission
Moderators
Tana Foarfă
Executive Director, Europuls
Profesor Romiță Iucu
President of the Steering and Strategic Analysis Council of the University of Bucharest and distinguished member of the European University Alliance CIVIS
Francesca Cristea
Head of Policy & Programs, Europuls
The live event will be broadcasted here.
12.00 - 13.30: Lunch break
I. From vulnerability to advantage: sustainable transport and logistics in CEE
In a Europe caught between the green transition and new geopolitical realities, transport and logistics infrastructure are becoming key factors of competitiveness. The Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, located at the intersection of major trade corridors between the West, East and South, has huge strategic potential, but also major vulnerabilities: insufficiently modernized infrastructure, regulatory fragmentation and dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, regional trade is under pressure from sustainability standards, new European regulations (Fit for 55, CBAM) and global competition for shorter, more digital and greener logistics chains. How can CEE transform current challenges into a competitive advantage through sustainable transport and logistics and, in the process, become a logistics and trade hub of Europe, avoiding the risk of remaining just a transit market between the West and the East?
Co-organizers
Speakers
Lucian Baltaru
CEO, Sameday
Marcel - Simion Mutescu
President of the Romanian Customs Authority
Moderator
Corneliu Coteț
Affiliated Expert, Europuls
The live event will be broadcasted here.
II. Roundtable: The Next Multiannual Financial Framework - development from local to national level
The European Commission's proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 marks a new chapter in the development of the Union and the Member States, with a budget estimated at 2 trillion euros, almost double the previous year. With major changes in both structure and paradigm, the future MFF has as its priorities the security, defense and competitiveness of the European Union. The round table wants to anticipate the discussions already launched in the public space in Brussels following the proposal published by the European Commission on July 16. Thus, together with participants with expertise and relevance in the discussions, the round table prepares Romania for the upcoming negotiations on the 7-year EU budget, having alongside members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, decision-makers at European, national and local levels, as well as social and business partners in the implementation of large-scale projects through European funds.
Co-organizers
Partners
Speakers
Siegfried Mureșan
EPP, Member, European Parliament, rapporteur for the Multiannual Financial Framework
Victor Negrescu
S&D, Member, European Parliament, Committee on Budgets (online intervention)
Ovidiu Cîmpean
Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Romania
Corina Ene
Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Romania
Florian Marin
President, Free Trade Unions Federation of Romania
Vice-President of Group II 'Workers', European Economic and Social Committee
Vice-President of Group II 'Workers', European Economic and Social Committee
Elena Calistru
President, Funky Citizens
Member, European Economic and Social Committee
Member, European Economic and Social Committee
Cristian Pelivan
Directorul Asociației Române a Magazinelor Online (ARMO)
Sabina Strîmbovschi
Senior Researcher in Industrial Decarbonisation, Energy Policy Group
Mihnea Cătuți
Executive Director, Energy Policy Group
Vasile Asandei
General Director, North-East Regional Development Agency
Dragoș Jaliu
Co-founder Consolid8
Ana Maria Icătoiu
Vicepresident, FICSIMM
Moderator
Francesca Cristea
Head of Policy & Programs, Europuls
The live event will be broadcasted here.
III. Education of the new Romanian generations - from nostalgia to new skills
In a complex social and political landscape, it is essential to discuss how young people today acquire the skills they need for the outside world, within the educational system. We will explore ways in which democratic and civic education, both formal and non-formal, can cultivate critical and engaged citizens. We will analyze innovative methods through which young people can understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities, actively contributing to society. A significant segment of the discussion will be dedicated to how education can counter distorted historical narratives and combat nostalgia for communism, ensuring a clear understanding of democratic values and fundamental freedoms. We will also emphasize the importance of non-formal education and lifelong learning in developing essential skills for new generations, such as adaptability, entrepreneurial thinking, resilience to misinformation and the ability to self-develop throughout life.
Co-organizer
Speakers
Dr. Daniel Șandru
Executive President, IICCMER
Marius Deaconu
Lecturer, Faculty of History, University of Bucharest
Corina Atanasiu
Member of Parliament, Romanian Parliament
Moderator
Adriana Șteau
Project Coordinator, Friedrich Naumann Foundation
The live event will be broadcasted here.
15.00 - 15.30: Coffee break
IV. PNRR on the last hundred meters - the race against time
The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), the post-Covid European instrument designed to help us make reforms and investments in six key areas, has been, in turn, a country plan, an opportunity, an obsession and then a test that we are struggling, in the last hundred meters, to pass. The media coverage, both positive and critical, of the NRRP has been useful, as it has quickly become the most well-known funding that Romania benefits from, after the cohesion funds. Today, we are one year away from the end of this exercise and it is an opportune moment to draw a line and say what blockages still exist, how many grants and loans Romania is left with at the end of the NRRP, what reforms and investments citizens are left with from the NRRP, but also what lessons we have learned from the NRRP experience and how these will help us to better manage European funds.
Speakers
Dragoș Pîslaru
Minister of Investments and European Projects
Siegfried Mureșan
EPP, Member, European Parliament, rapporteur for the Multiannual Financial Framework
Teodora Preoteasa
Director for the Management of European Funds at the Investment and Development Ban
Ana Maria Icătoiu
Vicepresident, FICSIMM
Dragoș Jaliu
Co-founder Consolid8
Marius Vasiliu
Monitorpnrr.ro
Interventions from the members of the PNRR Monitoring Committee
Bogdan Iuliu Hossu
President, CNS "Cartel ALFA"
Dr. Orieta Hulea
CEO WWF Romania
Lidia Capmare
Coordinator of the European Funds Working Group, Concordia Employers’ Confederation
Moderator
Tana Foarfă
Executive Director, Europuls
The live event will be broadcasted here.
V. Roundtable: The New EU AI Strategy - How does it affect us?
As the EU AI Act enters its implementation phase, Romania is now at a crucial strategic moment. The country can act boldly to shape a competitive and innovation-friendly AI ecosystem, or risk falling behind countries in the region. Romania still lacks a dedicated National Action Plan for AI and urgently needs to clarify its approach to the AI Act. This roundtable aims to trigger the development of a future-oriented, pro-business and regionally anchored AI strategy.
This session will be held in English.
Co-organizers
Speakers
Cezara Panait
Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy Google Romania and Moldova
Moderator
Corneliu Coteț
Affiliated Expert, Europuls
The live event will be broadcast here.
VI. Navigating EU ETS2: challenges, opportunities and the role of the Social Climate Plan in Romania
A central component of this panel will be the increasingly important role of the Social Climate Plan as an instrument to deliver a just transition for all affected citizens, of which Romania’s share amounts to around €6 billion. The fund would primarily support investments aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from heating systems and road transport and, to a lesser extent, direct income support. Through our discussions, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of ETS2 and its potential impact on Romania. We will analyse how the Social Climate Fund can counter regressive effects on households, focusing on the measures foreseen in Romania’s Social Climate Plan. We will also address how the Ministry of European Projects and Investments intends to identify and support vulnerable groups, through investments in green heating systems and road transport. Another focus will be on informing citizens and the role of public participation in the process of developing the PSC.
Co-organizers
Speakers
Elena Tudose
Secretary of State, Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests
Raluca Painter
Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission
Ruxandra Chirilă
Director general adjunct, Ministerul Investițiilor și Proiectelor Europene
Moderator
Mihnea Cătuți
Executive Director, Energy Policy Group
The live event will be broadcasted here.
VII. Pluralism and critical voices - the new European anti-SLAPP directive
Civil society and journalists are increasingly confronted with abusive litigation aimed at intimidating and silencing critical voices concerned with exposing the truth (SLAPPs). To counter these practices, the European Union adopted the Anti-SLAPP Directive, an essential legal instrument for protecting freedom of expression and, implicitly, pluralism - a fundamental value of a functioning democracy. Romania is in the process of transposing the directive and the collaboration of civil society and public institutions is necessary for the transposition to be effective. The event will analyze the (current) limits of the transposition, the impact on journalists and activists, but also the advocacy solutions proposed to improve the legislation. We will discuss with people directly involved in this process: representatives of civil society, public institutions, academia, as well as journalists and civic activists. At the same time, the debate will mark the launch of the National Anti-SLAPP Coalition, an initiative of the LiderJust Association to establish a legal framework through which organizations in the field can manage the SLAPP phenomenon in the long term.
Co-organizers
The live event will be broadcasted here.
Networking session powered by Crama Corcova
Co-organizers
Data collected and purpose of processing
By completing the registration form for the EUROSFAT 2025 edition and voluntarily submitting your personal data (name, surname, email address and telephone number), you implicitly express your consent for your data to be processed by Europuls – the European Expertise Center in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The data you provide us will be used by EUROPULS only for the following purposes:
– to keep you informed by email and/or telephone regarding the logistical and organizational details of the Eurosfat 2025 event;
– to send you other information related to your registration and/or participation in the Eurosfat 2025 event;
– to publish, in the form of a testimonial, if applicable, your opinions about participating in the Eurosfat 2025 event;
– to be able to contact you via the newsletter, so that we can inform you about other events or studies that we publish.
Data storage and data transfer
Personal data is kept for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is collected and processed. If we determine that we have a legitimate interest or a legal obligation to continue the processing, we will inform you accordingly. In general, we store personal data in locations in Romania. In certain situations, we may transfer data to countries in the European Economic Area – EEA (European Union, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), as well as outside it (if the servers on which we store the data or our partners provide these services outside the EEA).
Your rights as a data subject
In all cases, in relation to the processing of your data carried out by us, you have the following rights, which we will respect without undue delay:
– the right to access your data, rectify or delete them;
– the right to request restriction of processing and the right to withdraw your consent to processing;
– the right to object to data processing.
Modification or deletion of data
You have the right to request information about your personal data or request its modification or deletion. For this, you are obliged to send your request to us, at the e-mail address, at [email protected].
The conditions presented on this page are complemented by those in the Privacy Policy.
With patronage
The forum represents, year after year, a successful model in connecting Romanian citizens with the European agenda, being a forum for debate between decision-makers at European, national and local levels, civil society, journalists, the business environment and academia.
Main partner
Logistics partner
Strategic partners
Eurosfat Forum 2024 Retrospective
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