Globsec


GLOBSEC is a non-partisan, non-governmental organisation based in Bratislava, Slovakia. One of its main activities is the annual GLOBSEC Bratislava Global Security Forum, in existence since 2005. Other projects include the Tatra Summit conference on European affairs or Chateau Béla Central European Strategic Forum. Its think-tank called GLOBSEC Policy Institute boasts a wide research area based on four pillars. Its main outputs are policy papers and analyses on different topics in the area of international politics and security issues. Since 2016, GLOBSEC is not only the name of one of the top forums on international security worldwide, but also of the legal entity and organiser of the Forum.

GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum

Since its establishment in 2005, GLOBSEC Bratislava Forum has been held annually in Bratislava, the capital of the Slovak Republic and has become one of the world’s top five security conferences. Its 2016 edition hosted more than 1.000 participants from 70 countries. Its main topics include global security, transatlantic cooperation and international relations. Throughout its history, GLOBSEC has hosted prominent speakers such as David Cameron, Madeleine Albright, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Ursula von der Leyen, Michael Chertoff, John McCain, Zbigniew Brzezinski and many others.

History

The GLOBSEC organisation builds upon the tradition of the Slovak Atlantic Commission, established in 1993 by a group of Slovak diplomats. The aim of SAC was to facilitate the integration of Slovakia into NATO and the European Union. These goals were achieved in 2004 and a year later, SAC was joined by a group of students from the Matej Bel University in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. In 2005, this group, led by future GLOBSEC President Róbert Vass, established the annual GLOBSEC Bratislava Global Security Forum.

Central European Strategy Council

Slovak Atlantic Commission gradually expanded its scope of activities and created two sister organisations – a think-tank called Central European Policy Institute and the Centre for European Affairs. In 2013, Tatra Summit, an annual conference on European affairs and economy, was established. This network of organisations was consequently united under the umbrella entity called Central European Strategy Council, with Ambassador Rastislav Káčer acting as its Honorary Chairman and Róbert Vass as the CEO and Executive Vice-President.

GLOBSEC as an Organisation

In 2016, at the 11th annual GLOBSEC Forum, Róbert Vass announced that the whole network known as Central European Strategy Council would be rebranded as GLOBSEC while expanding its activities to achieve a larger outreach. The think-tank CEPI thus became GLOBSEC Policy Institute, expanding its research area. GLOBSEC Policy Institute organises its activities around four main programmes: