The 18th Baltic Sea Region Forum
Security in the Northern Europe and the Arctic
University of Turku, Finland
Monday, May 4th, 2026
| All times EEST |
|
| 10:30-11:30 |
Registration |
| 11:30-11:50 | Opening |
| Minna Arve, Chair of Centrum Balticum Foundation Board, Chief Executive Officer, Business Turku, Finland | |
| Jyri Arponen, Member of Centrum Balticum Foundation Board, Region Mayor of Southwest Finland | |
| 11:50-12.05 | The EU in an Era of Geostrategic Rivalries |
| Taneli Lahti, Deputy Managing Director, European External Action Service, European Union | |
| 12:05-12:35 | Keynote |
| Janne Jaakkola, General, Chief of Defence, Finnish Defence Forces, Finland | |
| 12:35-13:20 | Coffee and Networking |
| 13:20-14:45 | Strategic Competition in High North |
| Chair: | |
| Hiski Haukkala, Director, Finnish Institute of International Affairs | |
| Panelists: | |
| Klaus Dodds, Senior Research Fellow, Rand Europe | |
| Alexander Gabuev, Director, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, Germany | |
| Mika Hentunen, Russia Correspondent, Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, Finland | |
| Valur Ingimundarson, Professor, University of Iceland, Iceland | |
| Antti Kaikkonen, Member, Parliament of Finland, Finland | |
| Juha Kukkola, Associate Professor, National Defence University, Finland | |
| Marc Lanteigne, Professor, The Arctic University of Norway, Norway | |
| 14:45-15:30 | Coffee and Networking |
| 15:30-16:55 | Strategic Intelligence and the Region |
| Chair: | |
| Kasperi Summanen, Editor-in-Chief, Verkkouutiset and Nykypäivä, Finland | |
| Panelists: | |
| Michael Goodman, Professor, King's College London, United Kingdom | |
| Bjørn Grønning, Deputy Research Director, NORIS: Norwegian Intelligence School, Norway | |
| Norbert Loba, President, Frontline Foundation, Poland | |
| Kira Vrist Rønn, Associate Professor, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark | |
| Ilkka Salmi, Deputy Director General, Security, European Commission | |
| Arnold Sinisalu, Director General, Internal Security Service (2013–2023), Estonia | |
| Olli Teirilä, Dr., Major, Researcher, Defence Command, Finland | |
| 16:55-17:25 | Coffee and Networking |
| 17:25-18:50 | Critical Natural Resources and Logistical Infrastructure |
| Chair: | |
| Jussi Orell, Editor-in-Chief, Turun Sanomat, Finland | |
| Panelists: |
|
| Lars Gjesvik, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Norway | |
| Carina Keskitalo, Professor, University of Umeå, Sweden |
|
| Sanna Kopra, Research Professor, University of Lapland, Finland | |
| Olli-Matti Mikkola, Dr., Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Institute of Finland (LUKE), Finland | |
| Ville Niinistö, Member, European Parliament, European Union | |
| Benjamin L. Schmitt, Senior Fellow, University of Pennsylvania, USA | |
| 18:50-19:10 | Concluding remarks |
| Juha Martelius, Director, The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, Finland | |
| 19:45-21:00 |
Reception hosted by the City of Turku |
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Organizer
Centrum Balticum Foundation
centrumbalticum@centrumbalticum.org
