New Strategy Center celebrated its 9th anniversary on Thursday, June 27. The first conference organized by New Strategy Center took place on July 9, 2015. Since then, New Strategy Center has hosted 513 events where important topics for national security have been debated, where ideas, proposals, and solutions have been launched in order to provide Romania with better mechanisms to respond to the numerous security challenges. We succeeded in creating an important regional platform for debate and brought to the same table top officials and experts from the transatlantic community, promoting Romania’s security interests.
We have also produced 61 studies and reports, many of which were presented together with our partners in Washington, Brussels, London, Berlin, Rome, on topics of major interest for Romania. We have built an extensive network of 49 domestic and international partnerships, which allow us to bring valuable guests to our events in Romania, but also to participate in large-scale projects or traditional international conferences, such as the Munich Security Conference, Delphi Economic Forum, Warsaw Security Forum.
We would like to express our appreciation to all those who have believed and continue to believe in the NSC project and who are at our side, representatives of institutions, academics and sponsors. A special thanks to the Romanian diplomats, generals and admirals of the Romanian Army with whom we have had so many projects all these years.

The New Strategy Center Gala was a moment to take stock, to recall some important moments of the NSC activity and to meet old and new friends who believe in this project.

Ionel Nițu, NSC President:

“Beyond the statistics, which show an impressive activity, New Strategy Center is valuable through its people. We combine the enthusiasm of the young people we train with the experience of the seniors in various fields who have joined the large NSC family. As future intentions, we want to continue the strategic projects that can bring greater visibility to Romania in the regional and European context, and to expand the partnerships already started.”

Mihai Ghigiu, Head of the Romanian Prime Minister’s Chancellery:

“Over 9 years, the New Strategy Center has proven to be a catalyst for debates on crucial issues for Romania and the region. NSC’s in-depth analysis provides Romanian decision-makers with alternative perspectives on foreign and security policy events, thus helping to inform decisions in all areas.”

Luminița Odobescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs:

“In its 9 years of activity, the New Strategy Center has become a recognized leader in strategic analysis, organizing large-scale events and publishing studies that are highly relevant to Romania’s foreign policy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is honored to be a partner of New Strategy Center. The cooperation with this think tank has become part of our ongoing work and is a benchmark for us.”

Ștefan-Radu Oprea, Minister of Economy:

“You said from the beginning that the New Strategy Center will be important when the context is complicated, and the context has become complicated. Now the work of the NSC becomes even more valuable in the light of the multiple challenges we have to face. The NSC’s analysis provides interesting insights that are useful in the current context, helping to shape decisions and better understand the security environment.”

Nicoleta Pauliuc, Chair of the Senate Defense Committee:

“With over 500 events organized, the New Strategy Center has established itself as the most influential think tank in Romania, becoming a true catalyst of ideas and opinions. NSC events have succeeded in connecting key institutions and structures, including the Romanian Senate’s Defense Committee, generating debates anchored in immediate realities. By attracting renowned international experts, the NSC has succeeded in providing Romania with a global perspective on current issues, thus becoming the Romanian equivalent of institutions such as Chatham House in the UK or the Atlantic Council in the US.”

Lorant Antal, Chairman of the Senate Energy Committee:

“Energy security is an important component of Romania’s national security. And the New Strategy Center has done admirable things in understanding the challenges, in our strategic thinking, in Romania’s security culture, including from an energy security perspective.”

Raed Arafat, Secretary of State, Ministry of Interior:

“The value of a think tank is the value of the people in that think tank. If this think tank is known abroad, it means that the value of the people in it is recognized. I am happy to work with the NSC, to benefit from its expertise, to be partners in some projects that are important for our institution”.

Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary, Ministry of National Defense:

“The Ministry of National Defense is honored to celebrate with the New Strategy Center team 9 years of outstanding work. The 2024 edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum, co-organized by MAPN and NSC, was a landmark moment both nationally and internationally. In the first half of 2024, the NSC initiated a series of strategic events that addressed topics central to our common goals, such as maritime security, hybrid warfare, security challenges in the Black Sea region and the use of drones. The current geopolitical context obliges us to adapt and strengthen inter-institutional collaboration, and the role played by the New Strategy Center is of paramount importance in this respect.”

Lieutenant General Dragoș Iacob, Deputy Chief of the Defense Staff:

“I would like to highlight three dimensions of the Defense Staff’s collaboration with the New Strategy Center: the cognitive dimension, through studies and exercises; the organizational dimension, by being NSC partners in many events; and last but not least, I would also like to highlight the educational dimension that the New Strategy Center brings to our security culture. A lot of what many officers have learned is also due to the interaction with NSC during these 9 years”.

What will New Strategy Center do next? George Scutaru, CEO of NSC, also talked about future plans:

“We will open new collaborative projects with partners in the USA, UK, France and Germany to promote the strategic importance of the Black Sea, freedom of navigation. A Free and Open Black Sea will be a concept intensively promoted by the New Strategy Center. The coming year will bring new opportunities for NSC to collaborate in order to increase the security culture in Romania and the interests of our country. We will continue to be involved in initiatives to support Ukraine, while at the same time seeking to better understand possible developments in the neighboring country.”

We would like to thank all those who believe in and support the New Strategy Center project, which aims to support Romania’s international efforts and to contribute, together with state institutions and civil society, to the promotion of our country’s security interests.