The first edition of the “Paris Dialogue” took place on 8 and 9 June. The initiative was launched by Ifri, France’s leading think tank, and AGDA, a center of excellence based in Abu Dhabi. It is co-chaired by Thierry de Montbrial, executive chairman of Ifri, and Anwar Gargash, diplomatic advisor to H.H. the President of the United Arab Emirates, and deputy chairman of the board of trustees of AGDA.

The Ifri Center for Geopolitics of Technology is pleased to welcome two leading figures in AI: Geoffrey Hinton (2024 Nobel Prize in Physics), often referred to as the “godfather of AI”; and Arthur Mensch (CEO of Mistral AI), a key player in the emerging European AI landscape.

Amidst soaring defense spending, higher borrowing costs, erosion of energy intensive industries, renewed energy price hikes and possibly physical shortages, the European Union and its Member States are again struggling to stabilize the European economies. Governments are tempted by uncoordinated, short-term moves while in Brussels, there is a struggle between the “more of the same” and the “scrap it largely” approaches to the transition.

Against an international backdrop marked by the war in Ukraine, Russia’s emergence as a lasting threat to Europe, and an uncertain U.S. commitment to the Old Continent, questions about the future of the transatlantic relationship are mounting.

Between fragmentation and interdependence: rethinking global governance

Created by Thierry de Montbrial, founder and executive chairman of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), the World Policy Conference (WPC) will hold its 18th edition from April 24 to 26, 2026, at Domaine Les Fontaines in Gouvieux, Chantilly.

Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, Norway has become the European Union’s leading supplier of gas. This position could be further strengthened given the ongoing war in the Middle East. 

The resurgence of crises involving nuclear-armed states, accompanied by increasingly visible military signaling and forceful rhetoric, has renewed concerns about nuclear risk.

What could be further done rapidly as US and China tensions and pressures rise, too little projects take final investment decisions (FIDs) and vulnerabilities remain?  

The goal of this  closed-door roundtable is to discuss how to implement already agreed measures (c.f. ResourceEU) and expand strategic actions given that:

Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought the enlargement of the European Union back to the centre of European strategic debates. In this context, the Western Balkans have regained heightened visibility in discussions on the continent’s security, at a time when the international environment is marked by a growing number of destabilising factors. 

China's energy and clean tech sector developments are continuing to decisively impact the global energy system on the one hand, and to steer the country's economy towards rapid electrification on the other hand.