The Atlantic Council, one of the most influential and globally active think tanks in the United States, announced today the opening of a new regional office in Bucharest. This new office will foster bilateral and transatlantic cooperation on key priorities including energy, security, infrastructure, economics, and advanced technology, working in close partnership with government officials, civil society, and private sector leaders.
The office will be managed by senior advisor Alex Serban, a long-time Atlantic Council senior fellow with over sixteen years of experience in government relations. Serban also serves as president of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Romania and is a senior partner of Serban and Musneci Associates (SMA). Before SMA, Serban served as an adviser to the prime minister of Romania on NATO and international security issues. The office will be housed within the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center and will work in close collaboration with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center—while also drawing from the expertise of the Council’s other programs and centers.
“The Black Sea region is a crucial and contested setting, where we hope to advance regional integration and transatlantic partnerships,” said Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe. “The Atlantic Council is deeply committed as well to strengthening bilateral cooperation between the United States and Romania to address the most pressing challenges of our times. That will also include all matters aimed at securing Ukraine’s secure and independent future, including recovery and reconstruction efforts, and supporting the Republic of Moldova’s European integration.”
This expansion of Atlantic Council activity builds upon a decades-long presence in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Black Sea region through major conferences, high-level private engagements, and relevant policy publications.
Since the fall of communism, the Atlantic Council has been present in Romania and the region. Recently the Black Sea Energy & Economic Forum, the Three Seas Initiative, and the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation, and the drafting of a security strategy for the Black Sea, have brought prominent figures to Bucharest in partnership with the Atlantic Council.
Through its new Bucharest office, the Atlantic Council hopes to shape policies and understanding regarding geopolitical challenges, shared interests, and transatlantic engagement. The Bucharest office’s focus and priorities will benefit from an advisory council composed of influential public and private sector voices on both sides of the Atlantic.
“Our advisory board members will play a key role in linking the Council’s regional work to transatlantic agendas and advancing our strategic priorities: energy & infrastructure, democracy & integration, and regional security,” said Atlantic Council Senior Advisor and head of the Romania Office Alex Serban.
While in Bucharest, Kempe will also launch the Romanian language edition of his book, Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, and will be honored by the Şcoala Naţională de Studii Politice şi Administrative (SNSPA), or National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.
