The Green Transition Forum (GTF) has announced that Philippe Aghion, winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics, will join the sixth edition of Central and Eastern Europe’s most influential forum on sustainable and innovative transformation.
GTF will take place from the 1st of June to the 5th of June 2026, focusing on the theme ‘Europe’s Next Chapter: Competitive, Innovative, Secure’. The forum will not only welcome Philippe, but more speakers will be announced over the coming weeks.
Aghion was awarded the Nobel Prize alongside Peter Howitt and Joel Mokyr for their theory of sustained growth through creative destruction, the process by which new technologies and businesses replace older ones in a continuous cycle that drives long-term prosperity.
His research, built over three decades, fundamentally changed how economists understand the relationship between competition, innovation, and growth. He has advised the French government on industrial strategy and co-chaired France’s Artificial Intelligence Commission under President Macron. The book he has a co-authored, The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations, argues that well-designed policy can steer capitalism towards outcomes that are not only productive but also inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
“Having advised governments on industrial strategy and co-chaired France’s AI Commission, Philippe Aghion brings intellectual authority and practical policy experience to GTF 6.0’s conversations about Europe’s competitiveness and technological future.” — Says Monika Stanisheva, Founder of The Green Transition Forum.
In a world where Europe is openly questioning whether it can keep pace with the United States and China on technology and industrial policy, Aghion is one of the foremost thinkers on what it actually takes to sustain economic progress.
Philippe will not only be at the Forum as a speaker for a special lecture, but he will also be the focus of a Q&A session where attendees will be able to engage directly with him This experience will be designed as more of an exclusive session that prioritises open discussion. Tickets for this combined Lecture and Q&A can be purchased here.
The 2026 edition is expected to bring together C-level executives and institutional leaders for panel discussions, keynotes, interviews, and networking sessions over five days. The Forum’s key themes, Competitiveness, Innovation, and Security, will dive into how Europe can reinvent its industrial base, harness AI and digital transformation, and safeguard its infrastructure and people
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