The International Directorate of the Ludovika University of Public Service (LUPS), in cooperation with the Central and Eastern Europe Council Foundation, organized the Freedom & Growth Summit conference on December 3–4 in Warsaw.
The two-day event brought together Central and Eastern European decision-makers, business leaders, and experts, who discussed issues shaping the future of the region in a series of thematic panels. These included the impact of revolutionary technologies, the changing international order, demographic challenges, and energy security strategies aimed at strengthening free societies.
In the opening address of the conference, Krzysztof Bosak, President of Poland’s Confederation Party, highlighted the importance of the Three Seas Initiative. He placed particular emphasis on the significance of common defense strategies and stressed that Central European countries must assume greater responsibility for ensuring their own security in a changing global environment.
Hungary was represented by a total of five experts at the conference. On December 2, during the plenary session on peace and stability in Europe, Attila Demkó, Research Fellow at the John Lukacs Institute of the Eötvös József Research Centre (EJKK) of LUPS, shared his professional insights. That same evening, Noémi Pálfalvi, Director’s Chief Advisor at the Danube Institute, participated in a panel discussion on sovereignty and a unified Europe.
On the second day of the conference, a panel discussion focusing on the global energy transition was held, moderated by International Director General Liliana Śmiech. During this session, Csaba Gondola, State Secretary responsible for the circular economy and climate policy, presented his views. Later, speakers discussed the migration crisis—an issue posing an increasing challenge for the European Union—in a panel featuring Viktor Marsai, Associate Professor at LUPS and Director of the Migration Research Institute. On the topic of freedom of speech and disinformation, Boris Kálnoky, Head of the MCC Media School, contributed to the professional dialogue. The contributions of the Hungarian experts were closely linked to ongoing processes within the European Union.
Photos: Jan Walewski