Aspen Institute Romania

As most Institutes in the Aspen network, Aspen Institute Romania came about through the serendipitous meeting of like-minded individuals keen on developing an environment for fundamental debates and substantive contribution to Romania's success as a democracy and open society.
It all started with Mircea Dan Geoana, at the time Romania's Ambassador to the US, who was invited to attend an Aspen Executive Seminar in 1998. As for many other participants, this was a life changing experience for the young diplomat. Ever since, Mircea Geoana became an active participant in the various programs developed by the Aspen Institute and a frequent visitor of the Aspen campus together with his family. His appointments as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Romania in 2000 led to a similarly active engagement with Aspen Institute Italia that ultimately led to the first large scale conference to be organized by an Aspen Institute in a former communist country. The event in 2003, jointly organized by Aspen Italia and the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was to be the inspiration and very much a starting point for the process leading to the establishment of an Aspen Institute in Romania. Obvious issues and hurdles were carefully considered by the original group of enthusiastic supporters, including creating a stable financial basis for the Institute, the intellectual leadership for its main areas of operation, the types of activities and priorities in terms of agenda, its relationship with the Aspen Network of International Partners, the structure of its members, the best model of internal organization etc.
Within a relatively short time and with a small team of dedicated people, the Aspen Institute in Romania was set up at the end of 2005 by a group of political and business leaders, who believed that Romania had reached a point in its economic and civic development, as well as achieving a significant level of integration within the world of democracies to benefit from the Aspen method and Aspen values. Founding members included some of the leading figures of Romanian business, large Western corporations active in Romania including banks, consultancies, business organizations as well as public figures. Following the decision of the International Committee, the Aspen Institute Romania was welcomed into the Aspen International Network in August 2006, and officially launched in Bucharest on December 18th, 2006. Three elements insured the successful establishment of Aspen Romania: a core group of visionary original contributors and founders - in its vast majority still very much active in the Aspen Institute Romania; a decisive working partnership with Aspen Italia that provided institutional and know-how support early on to insure the highest possible quality for the AIR events; last but not least the strategic decision to go step by step and develop organically including the decision to start with the establishment of a full functional leadership program centered around the Aspen Seminar and the young leaders activities. Today, despite the significant challenges brought about by the addition of a complex set of activities including policy programs, these original assets are still part of AIR's steady course.

The Aspen Institute Romania Mission Statement:

The Aspen Institute Romania mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues affecting Romanian society and the region.

The Aspen Institute Romania programs:

I. Leadership programs: including seminars which help participants reflect on what they think makes a good society, thereby deepening knowledge, broadening perspectives and enhancing their capacity to solve the problems leaders face. We offer young-leader fellowships for successful private, civic, academic and public sectors representatives form Romania and its region; the Aspen Romania Young Leaders Programme brings a selected class of proven leaders together for an intense annual formative program and a long term commitment. The fellows become better leaders and apply their skills to significant challenges operating in coordination with the AGLN established by Aspen Institute.; also offered are short term regional policy seminars on topics of high relevance for Romania's extended neighbourhood esp. the Balkans and the Black Sea regions.
II. Policy programs, which serve as nonpartisan forums for analysis, consensus building, and problem solving on a wide variety of issues.
III. Public conferences and events, which provide a commons for people to share ideas; a set of matching publications.
The Aspen Institute Romania is based in Bucharest and is an integral part of the international network of partners established by the Aspen Institute.

Aspen Membership

Corporations and individuals who share our goals are welcome to apply for membership. They may also offer sponsorship of specific events and programmes organized by Aspen Romania or other forms of support. Members are expected to participate personally each year in some of the Aspen Romania events, seminars, and conferences, and to pay an annual membership fee.

Membership categories:

 Corporate Annual fee: 15,000 EUR → (10 votes)
 Business (annual turnover up to 20m) Annual fee: 5,000 EUR → (5 votes)
 Personal (private sector) Annual fee: 2,500 EUR → (2 votes)
 Personal (non-profit sector) Annual fee: 150 EUR → (1 vote)

If you are interested in joining Aspen Romania or contributing to our activities, please contact us at:
office@aspeninstitute.ro 

La fel ca majoritatea Institutelor din reţeaua Aspen, Institutul Aspen România a fost creat prin întâlnirea unor persoane dornice să dezvolte un mediu pentru dezbateri fundamentale şi contribuţii substanţiale la succesul României ca democraţie şi societate deschisă. Totul a început cu Mircea Dan Geoană, Ambasador al României în Statele Unite ale Americii în acea perioadă, care a fost invitat să participe la un Seminar Executiv Aspen în 1998. La fel ca pentru mulţi alţi participanţi, aceasta a fost o experienţă care i-a schimbat viaţa tânărului diplomat. De atunci, Mircea Geoană a devenit un participant activ în diferite programe dezvoltate de Institutul Aspen şi un vizitator frecvent al campusului Aspen, împreună cu familia sa. Numirea sa în funcţia de Ministru de Externe al României în anul 2000 a condus la un angajament la fel de activ cu Institutul Aspen Italia, care a condus în final, la prima conferinţă la scară înaltă organizată de un Institut Aspen într-o fostă ţară comunistă. Evenimentul din 2003, organizat de Aspen Italia şi de Ministerul Român al Afacerilor Externe, urma să fie inspiraţia şi punctul de pornire pentru procesul care a dus la înfiinţarea Institutului Aspen în România. Dificultăţile evidente au fost discutate atent de grupul original de suporteri entuziaşti, inclusiv crearea unei baze financiare solide pentru institut, conducerea principală pentru ariile cele mai importante de operare, tipurile de activităţi şi priorităţile în ceea ce priveşte agenda, relaţia cu reţeaua Aspen de parteneri internaţionali, structura membrilor, cel mai bun model de organizare internă etc. Într-un timp relativ scurt şi cu o echipă mică de oameni dedicaţi, Institutul Aspen în România a fost format la sfârşitul lui 2005 de un grup de lideri politici şi de afaceri care credeau că România atinsese un punct în dezvoltarea sa economică şi civică şi de asemenea, un nivel semnificativ de integrare în lumea democratică, pentru a beneficia de metoda Aspen şi valorile Aspen. Membrii fondatori au inclus unele din figurile marcante din mediul de afaceri din România, corporaţii vestice importante active în România, inclusiv bănci, companii de consultanţă,  organizaţii de afaceri, precum şi figuri publice. Ca urmare a deciziei Comitetului Internaţional, Institutul Aspen România a fost primit în Reţeaua Internaţională Aspen în august 2006 şi a fost lansat oficial în Bucureşti pe 18 decembrie 2006. Trei elemente au asigurat înfiinţarea cu succes a Aspen România - un nucleu de contribuitori şi fondatori originali vizionari - în marea lor majoritate încă foarte activi în cadrul Institutului Aspen România; un parteneriat de lucru decisiv cu Aspen Italia, care a oferit sprijin instituţional şi de know-how, pentru a asigura cea mai înaltă calitate posibilă pentru evenimentele AIR; şi nu în cele din umă, decizia strategică de a merge pas cu pas şi a se dezvolta organic, inclusiv decizia de a începe cu înfiinţarea unui program de leadership funcţional în totalitate, centrat în jurul Seminarului Aspen şi a activităţilor tinerilor lideri. Astăzi, în pofida provocărilor semnificative aduse de cumularea unui set de activităţi complexe inclusiv programe de politici, aceste câştiguri originale sunt încă o parte din cursul stabil al AIR.