DELPHI, Greece – The President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos welcomed the participants to the Fourth Delphi Economic Forum, whose theme is Challenges for Inclusive Growth, during the Official Opening Ceremony Thursday evening, February 28.

The Forum is being be held February 28 to March 3 at the European Cultural Centre of Delphi, Greece. The four-day international conference has become an important annual institution for Europe and the Balkans in just four years, hosting presidents and prime ministers, EU Commissioners, central bankers, prominent economists, politicians, business leaders and academics, as well as distinguished members of civil society who will analyze and discuss 80 global, European, and Greek issues.

During the Official Opening Ceremony Pavlopoulos focused on the challenging nature of the world’s uncertain future, speaking of the historical “bipolarity of technophobia and technophilia” and the need to balance the positive and negative aspects of technology to ensure the improvement of human life.

“A recurring theme across sessions during the first day of the Forum was the challenge of coping with a world that is changing in fundamental and once inconceivable ways at a dizzying speed. Nik Gowing and Chris Langdon” touched upon the issue with a true sense of urgency in their session yesterday on Thinking the Unthinkable,” the title of their joint book, “calling upon us to factor in these once unfathomable developments into our decision-making process,” according an official press release.

Emanuel L. Rouvelas, Partner at the distinguished Washington, DC law firm K&L Gates told The National Herald that he was impressed with the first day’s presentations, which included numerous global opinion leaders.
The Delphi Economic Forum gathers 500 speakers from 24 countries addressing 95 different thematic subjects, 2,500 participants and more than 150 journalists, and this year’s agenda includes: a) Geopolitical challenges, global trends, and the future of the planet; b) The international business environment, aiming at creating a platform for empowering business and investor relations and enhancing trade links between Greece and Europe as well as the broader Mediterranean region; c) The future of the European Union, three months prior to the European elections, and d) Greece’s economic recovery in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Symeon G. Tsomokos, who offered the introduction on Thursday afternoon, is the Founder and Chairman of the Delphi Economic Forum, which is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working in close cooperation with civil society, public organizations, businesses and individuals. It engages business, political, academic, and other top experts in an effort to address emerging challenges, influence the national and regional agendas and promote sustainable and socially responsible growth policies for Greece, Europe and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.