Energy transition, geopolitics and investments at this year’s Financial Times Live conference in Athens
The Energy Transition Summit: East Med & Southeast Europe returns to Athens for its second consecutive year on May 13–14, 2026, bringing together leading representatives from governments, businesses and international organizations.
At a time when Europe is entering a crucial phase of the energy transition, the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Europe are emerging as a key hub connecting energy flows, investments and geopolitical developments. The international conference “Energy Transition Summit: East Med & Southeast Europe,” organized by Financial Times Live in partnership with Kathimerini, will once again convene top-tier participants from Greece and abroad, including ministers, heads of international organizations and senior executives from the energy sector. The aim of the conference is to foster meaningful dialogue toward shaping a coherent, resilient and sustainable energy system in the region.
Over the course of the two-day event, the summit will address a broad range of critical issues shaping the region’s energy future, such as the development of a secure regional energy system through interconnections and LNG infrastructure, strengthening grid resilience, and leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins. A central focus will be on collaboration between governments, investors and businesses, aiming to balance energy security, competitiveness and social cohesion. Particular emphasis will also be placed on financing energy projects and developing innovative financial tools, as well as on competitiveness, supply chains, critical raw materials and emerging technologies such as hydrogen.
The conference will open with remarks by the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, highlighting the country’s role as an energy hub in the wider region.
From the perspective of international political and economic cooperation, speakers will include the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Al Budaiwi, and the European Union’s Special Envoy for the Gulf, Luigi Di Maio. The geopolitical dimension of the summit will also feature Sharren Haskel, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, and Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
In the Ministerial Panel “Delivering 2030: Leadership commitments for the East Med transition,” Ministers of Energy and Infrastructure from Southeast Europe will focus on government commitments to the energy transition, highlighting concrete steps for project implementation, accelerating investments and coordinating policies to achieve 2030 targets.
The Energy Transition Summit: East Med & Southeast Europe, under the joint auspices of Financial Times Live and Kathimerini, aims to serve as a key reference point for energy dialogue in the broader region, contributing meaningfully to the development of strategic partnerships and sustainable solutions for the decade ahead.