Six professors from the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, at the 21st Bled Strategic Forum
Six professors from the School of Economics and Business, University of Ljubljana, at the 21st Bled Strategic Forum
The 21st Bled Strategic Forum, Slovenia's central foreign policy event, took place in Bled on 31 August and 1 September 2026. Held under the title The Power to Shape the Future, it brought together more than 150 speakers from over 70 countries, among them two heads of state, four prime ministers, seven foreign ministers and four European commissioners. The presence of six researchers from UL SEB in a programme of this calibre confirms that economics, business and the knowledge they generate are an indispensable part of the debate on the future of Europe.
Discussions focused on European security and competitiveness, EU enlargement, infrastructure, energy and raw material dependencies, and the impact of artificial intelligence on society. Economic topics were one of the forum's central programme lines.
On the first day of the forum, prof. dr. Tjaša Redek, moderated the panel Rebuilding Prosperity: Labour, Capital and the State Working Together, opened by dr. Anže Logar, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and Minister of the Economy, Labour and Sport. The discussion addressed questions of productivity, added value and the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of work. Prof. dr. Aljoša Valentinčič, took part in the same discussion as a panellist, alongside representatives of the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, and Slovenian business and trade unions.
On the second day, prof. dr. Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar, moderated the full-day tourism programme When Destinations Grow Up: Strategic Choices for Mature Destinations, which examined how mature destinations steer their development once growth in visitor numbers is no longer the main challenge. Assoc. prof. dr. Petra Došenovič Bonča, joined the discussion on the future of European health systems and access to innovative medicines, together with the Ministers of Health and of Finance and representatives of the European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry. Prof. dr. Mojmir Mrak, spoke in the discussion After the Petrodollar: Oil, Security, and the New Middle East on the reshaping of energy and financial flows in the Middle East, while Assoc. prof. dr. Tamara Pavasović Trošt, contributed to Counting the Cost: Demography, Power, and Europe's Strategic Choices on demography as a factor of European strategic power.