An annual gathering exclusive for GFCC members and fellows to exchange insights and envision the future of competitiveness strategies. This year's theme is "Navigating a New Era of Competitiveness".

Join us for an opening reception featuring welcome remarks from our hosts and a special keynote address. Connect with global attendees and kick off the summit over evening drinks and light refreshments.

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Powering Competitiveness: Energy, Infrastructure and Digital Innovation for Economic Transformation

Special Address by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria

Economic growth, geopolitical tensions, technological disruption and the race for strategic capabilities are reshaping competitiveness across the globe. Nations are increasingly focused on resilience, energy security, infrastructure modernization and technological sovereignty as a way to build the critical capabilities needed to remain competitive over the next decade. This panel brings together global and national perspectives to examine how countries can build resilient, future-ready growth strategies in an era of fragmentation and disruption.

Where does Southeast Europe stand in the global competitiveness landscape — and where is it headed? Drawing on Gallup's latest data, Preslav Tonkov opens the summit with a frank, evidence-based assessment of the region's economic strengths, structural challenges, and the indicators that will define its trajectory in the decade ahead.

Energy security has become one of the defining competitiveness challenges of the decade — a driver not only of economic growth and prosperity, but of geopolitical stability. This session explores how countries can diversify energy sources, strengthen resilience and translate reliable, affordable energy into broader economic and strategic advantage.

Special Address by the Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation, Republic of Bulgaria

Aging infrastructure, the rise of AI, growing electricity demand, the reconfiguration of power systems, and digital technologies in general are forcing countries to rethink energy systems. Modernization at this scale requires more than government funding alone and a workforce equipped to operate increasingly digital, interconnected systems. This session explores how countries and companies are tackling both the capital and the talent gap needed to build resilient, future-ready energy systems and economies.

Special Address by the Minister of Energy, Republic of Bulgaria

Building the Talent Advantage in an AI-Driven Economy

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World-class infrastructure is not just a prerequisite for competitiveness, it is a source of competitive advantage in its own right, shaping where investment, talent and industry choose to locate and how efficiently goods, data and energy move across an economy. Yet building it remains a persistent challenge for many nations, given the scale of capital required, long project timelines and the difficulty of coordinating across public and private stakeholders. This session explores the critical role of transportation, logistics, energy systems, digital connectivity and innovation districts as engines of growth, and strategies to overcome setbacks when planning for the next decade.

A moderated conversation examining Europe's competitiveness challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing global environment.

Artificial intelligence is emerging as a defining competitiveness differentiator, but capturing its advantages depends less on the technology itself than on institutional readiness, policy-making and sustained investment in human capability. This session brings together perspectives on market insertion, governance and workforce transformation to explore what it takes for nations to compete in the AI economy.

Long constrained by cost, public perception and regulatory caution, nuclear energy is reemerging as an option for countries seeking reliable, low-carbon power and more independence from volatile global energy markets. Advances in technology have eased safety concerns that once held the technology back, while geopolitical disruptions have exposed the risks of relying too heavily on a narrow set of energy sources and suppliers. As a result, nations are increasingly turning to nuclear and other next-generation technologies as a matter of both energy security and competitiveness.

Many countries have developed ambitious competitiveness and innovation strategies, yet execution remains the harder challenge. This panel moves beyond strategy design to examine what separates successful implementation from stalled ambition, drawing on practitioner experience to identify the institutional structures, incentives and metrics that turn competitiveness agendas into tangible economic impact.

A forward-looking discussion reflecting on the major themes emerging from the Summit and identifying priorities for governments, universities and businesses.

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Join us for drinks and conversation to wrap up a great day of insights

An elegant evening beginning with a cocktail reception, followed by a seated dinner. The program features a special screening and the presentation of the Global Competitiveness Awards, celebrating exceptional leadership in competitiveness and innovation.

GFCC members and fellows will explore industrial and innovation sites across Sofia.

Plovdiv, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and Bulgaria's second-largest city, will host a day of visits to leading industrial and innovation sites.