Budapest Forum

Based on the success of the last years, Budapest Forum will return in 2024. The two-day conference will be organized again by the Municipality of Budapest, Political Capital, and CEU Democracy Institute to discuss the most pressing issues currently facing citizens of democratic and nominally democratic countries. The Forum will explore and examine policy proposals under the banner of ‘Building Sustainable Democracies’.

Budapest Forum has hit the international policy event scene in the last three years gathering mayors, commissioners, MEPs, decision makers, policy experts, academics, and activists for 15-20 panels and sessions per year, multiple side events and discussions. The public interest was equally large with more than 450 in-person participants and almost 40.000 viewers online per year, as well as hundreds of Hungarian and international media appearances. The feedback from participants and partners was very positive, highlighting the organizational quality, impressive line-up, thematic diversity and hitting a niche with the role of cities in addressing the most pressing challenges of our time. 

In 2024, we will focus on the topic of “The Year of Elections” – The elections of the year 2024 will profoundly influence our collective European experience and extend their impact beyond our borders. Against the backdrop of the rotating EU Presidency of Hungary and the establishment of the new European Commission, discussions on the rule of law, democracy, and the trajectory of European integration hold heightened significance.

Our democracies face mounting challenges exacerbated by various internal and external factors. While some tensions are deliberately stoked by populist movements, others stem from organic societal shifts, necessitating a unified approach and extensive collaboration to navigate. In the forthcoming Budapest Forum conference, we aim to confront these challenges alongside global decision-makers and experts. Together, we seek to steer discussions and formulate impactful policy solutions that address the evolving dynamics of our democracies and the European integration process.

Budapest Forum is a markedly pro-democratic, anti-populist Central Eastern European platform. After the success of last year’s policy-heavy discussions focusing on the most pressing challenges democracy is facing today, we are convinced that it is not only the multitude of crises that define our time, but also the commitment and the intellectual prowess of broad segments of our societies to tackle these crises. The palpable interest that we have seen, attested that we are on the right path when we seek to galvanize policy debates across borders and levels of government, and provide a joint platform for all relevant stakeholders in search of a sustainable and democratic future.

We, as co-organizing partners, the Municipality of Budapest, Political Capital Institute, and CEU Democracy Institute, will draw upon this valuable experience this year when organizing the fourth Budapest Forum, scheduled for September 18-19. We are looking forward to expanding our growing Budapest Forum network with the most impactful changemakers.