Bilderberg Meeting Commences in Lisbon

Every year, behind closed doors, an assembly of influential individuals from various fields descends upon a luxurious venue to participate in the Bilderberg Meeting.

The annual gathering of the Bilderberg Group, known as the 69th Bilderberg Meeting, has commenced in the city of Lisbon, Portugal. This exclusive assembly brings together influential figures from around the world to discuss pressing global matters, such as transnational challenges, the impact of artificial intelligence, and the role of the United States in international affairs.

Since its inception in 1954, this longstanding tradition of confidential discussions has fostered an intriguing convergence of transparent diplomacy and discreet exclusivity. Prominent political leaders intermingle with industry magnates, media moguls, and financial titans, blurring the boundaries between public diplomacy and behind-the-scenes power dynamics.

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Consistent with tradition, the specifics of their deliberations remain veiled by the "Chatham House Rule," a protocol that grants attendees the freedom to utilize the insights acquired during the meetings while safeguarding the anonymity of both speakers and participants. This rule ensures a climate of confidentiality, allowing for open and frank exchanges without the fear of personal attribution.

Among the major topics slated for discussion are artificial intelligence, the banking system, energy transition, and industrial policy and trade.

Other high-priority issues include the geopolitical landscapes of Europe, China, India, Russia, and Ukraine, along with NATO and America’s global leadership.

The inclusion of the topic of U.S. leadership on the Bilderberg agenda is particularly noteworthy, as it reemerges after its last appearance in 2018. This focus arises in the context of intensified endeavors by China and Russia to diminish dependence on the U.S. dollar as the dominant global reserve currency.

The agenda outlined by the group encompasses various crucial themes:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

2. Banking System

3. China

4. Energy Transition

5. Europe

6. Fiscal Challenges

7. India

8. Industrial Policy and Trade

9. NATO

10. Russia

11. Transnational Threats

12. Ukraine

13. U.S. Leadership

Among the assemblage of prominent global figures, the presence of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg garners attention, particularly due to the heightened significance of global security cooperation amidst the ongoing and protracted conflict in Ukraine.

In addition to the security aspect, the attendees also include Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence for the United States, and Thomas Wright, the Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council. Their participation underscores the weighty consideration given to security matters at the meeting.

The roster of attendees comprises a diverse array of political leaders, including Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament, Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and Sanna Marin, the outgoing Prime Minister of Finland who, despite losing the election, continues to serve as part of a caretaker government until the formation of a new cabinet.

Joining the assembly is Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot that has garnered significant attention for its potential to replace humans in various job roles. Notable figures from the technology industry are also present, including Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, Alex Karp, the CEO of Palantir Technologies, and Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google.

Among the “distinguished” attendees, Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, finds a place on the list. Also present is Peter Thiel, the founder of Thiel Capital, renowned for his influential ventures, alongside John Waldron, the President of Goldman Sachs as well as Didier Reynders, the European Commissioner for Justice, Alexander Schallenberg, Austria's Minister for European and International Affairs, and Dmytro Kuleba, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine. Notably, Kuleba has been actively involved in bolstering Western support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. He recently participated in a meeting of 27 European Union foreign ministers, where he advocated for the provision of long-range artillery ammunition and the initiation of discussions regarding Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union.

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While the Bilderberg Meeting is often described as an informal and private gathering without any official capacity, the concentration of influential figures in one place has raised concerns and attracted scrutiny.

Critics point out the notable presence of senior European politicians engaging in discussions on crucial subjects such as Ukraine, Russia, and NATO, alongside high-ranking NATO officials, all within an environment devoid of press oversight or public transparency. Journalist Charlie Skelton, in an interview with The Epoch Times, remarked on the absence of mainstream media coverage, calling it a significant blind spot. Skelton also alluded to persistent rumors surrounding the Bilderberg Meetings, including speculations about attendees strategizing to establish a new world order.

The reluctance of legacy media outlets to thoroughly cover the Bilderberg Meetings has contributed to an ongoing perception of secrecy and intrigue surrounding the event, leaving questions unanswered and fueling speculation.

You can read more about the Bilderberg Group in this article.

Full List of Participants

• Abrams, Stacey (USA), CEO, Sage Works Production

• Achleitner, Paul M. (DEU), Chair, Global Advisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG

• Agrawal, Ajay (CAN), Professor of Economics, University of Toronto

• Albares, José Manuel (ESP), Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Altman, Sam (USA), CEO, OpenAI

• Alverà, Marco (ITA), Co-Founder, zhero.net; CEO TES

• Andersson, Magdalena (SWE), Leader, Social Democratic Party

• Applebaum, Anne (USA), Staff Writer, The Atlantic

• Arnaut, José Luís (PRT), Managing Partner, CMS Rui Pena & Arnaut

• Attal, Gabriel (FRA), Minister for Public Accounts

• Balsemão, Francisco Pinto (PRT), Chair, Impresa Group

• Barbizet, Patricia (FRA), Chair and CEO, Temaris & Associés SAS

• Barroso, José Manuel (PRT), Chair, International Advisors, Goldman Sachs

• Baudson, Valérie (FRA), CEO, Amundi SA

• Beaune, Clément (FRA), Minister for Transport

• Benson, Sally (USA), Professor of Energy Science and Engineering, Stanford University

• Beurden, Ben van (NLD), Special Advisor to the Board, Shell plc

• Borg, Anna (SWE), President and CEO, Vattenfall AB

• Borrell, Josep (INT), Vice President, European Commission

• Botín, Ana P. (ESP), Group Executive Chair, Banco Santander SA

• Bourla, Albert (USA), Chair and CEO, Pfizer Inc.

• Braathen, Kjerstin (NOR), CEO, DNB ASA

• Brende, Børge (NOR), President, World Economic Forum

• Brink, Dolf van den (NLD), CEO, Heineken NV

• Brudermüller, Martin (DEU), CEO, BASF SE

• Buberl, Thomas (FRA), CEO, AXA SA

• Byrne, Thomas (IRL), Minister for Sport and Physical Education

• Carney, Mark (CAN), Vice Chair, Brookfield Asset Management

• Cassis, Ignazio (CHE), Federal Councillor, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

• Castries, Henri de (FRA), President, Institut Montaigne

• Cavoli, Christopher (INT), Supreme Allied Commander Europe

• Ceylan, Mehmet Fatih (TUR), President, Ankara Policy Center

• Chhabra, Tarun (USA), Senior Director for Technology and National Security, National Security Council

• Creuheras, José (ESP), Chair, Grupo Planeta and Atresmedia

• Debackere, Koenraad (BEL), Chair, KBC Group NV

• Deese, Brian (USA), Former Director, National Economic Council

• Donohoe, Paschal (INT), President, Eurogroup

• Döpfner, Mathias (DEU), Chair and CEO, Axel Springer SE

• Easterly, Jen (USA), Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

• Economy, Elizabeth (USA), Senior Advisor for China, Department of Commerce

• Ehrnrooth, Henrik (FIN), Chair, Otava Group

• Émié, Bernard (FRA), Director General for External Security, Ministry of the Armed Forces

• Empoli, Giuliano da (ITA), Political Scientist and Writer, Sciences Po

• Entrecanales, José M. (ESP), Chair and CEO, Acciona SA

• Eriksen, Øyvind (NOR), President and CEO, Aker ASA

• Ferguson, Niall (USA), Milbank Family Senior Fellow, Stanford University

• Fleming, Jeremy (GBR), Former Director, GCHQ

• Frederiksen, Mette (DNK), Prime Minister

• Freeland, Chrystia (CAN), Deputy Prime Minister

• Garijo, Bélen (DEU), Chair and CEO, Merck KGaA

• Gentiloni, Paolo (INT), Commissioner for Economy, European Commission

• Gonzáles Pons, Esteban (ESP), Vice Chair, European People’s Party

• Gosset-Grainville, Antoine (FRA), Chair, AXA

• Goulimis, Nicky (GRC), Board Member and Co-Founder, Nova Credit Inc.

• Griffin, Kenneth (USA), Founder and CEO, Citadel LLC

• Gruber, Lilli (ITA), Editor-in-Chief and Anchor, La7 TV

• Gürkaynak, Refet (TUR), Professor of Economics, Bilkent University

• Haines, Avril D. (USA), Director of National Intelligence

• Halberstadt, Victor (NLD), Professor of Economics, Leiden University

• Hassabis, Demis (GBR), CEO, DeepMind

• Hedegaard, Connie (DNK), Chair, KR Foundation

• Hofreiter, Anton (DEU), MP; Chair Committee on European Affairs

• Holzen, Madeleine von (CHE), Editor-in-Chief, Le Temps

• Jensen, Kristian (DNK), CEO, Green Power Denmark

• Joshi, Shashank (GBR), Defence Editor, The Economist

• Kaag, Sigrid (NLD), Minister of Finance; Deputy Prime Minister

• Karp, Alex (USA), CEO, Palantir Technologies Inc.

• Kasparov, Garry (USA), Chair, Renew Democracy Initiative

• Kieli, Kasia (POL), President and Managing Director, Warner Bros. Discovery Poland

• Kissinger, Henry A. (USA), Chairman, Kissinger Associates Inc.

• Koç, Ömer (TUR), Chair, Koç Holding AS

• Kolesnikov, Andrei (INT), Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

• Kostrzewa, Wojciech (POL), President, Polish Business Roundtable

• Kotkin, Stephen (USA), Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

• Kravis, Henry R. (USA), Co-Chairman, KKR & Co. Inc.

• Kravis, Marie-Josée (USA), Chair, The Museum of Modern Art

• Kudelski, André (CHE), Chair and CEO, Kudelski Group SA

• Kuleba, Dmytro (UKR), Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Lammy, David (GBR), Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, House of Commons

• Leysen, Thomas (BEL), Chair, Umicore and Mediahuis; Chair DSM-Firmenich AG

• Liikanen, Erkki (FIN), Chair, IFRS Foundation Trustees

• Looney, Bernard (GBR), CEO, BP plc

• Marin, Sanna (FIN), Prime Minister

• Metsola, Roberta (INT), President, European Parliament

• Micklethwait, John (USA), Editor-in-Chief, Bloomberg LP

• Minton Beddoes, Zanny (GBR), Editor-in-Chief, The Economist

• Moreira, Duarte (PRT), Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Zeno Partners

• Moyo, Dambisa (GBR), Global Economist; Member, House of Lords

• Mundie, Craig J. (USA), President, Mundie & Associates LLC

• Nadella, Satya (USA), CEO, Microsoft Corporation

• O’Leary, Michael (IRL), Group CEO, Ryanair Group

• Orida, Deborah (CAN), President and CEO, PSP Investments

• Özel, Soli (TUR), Professor, Kadir Has University

• Papalexopoulos, Dimitri (GRC), Chair, TITAN Cement Group; Treasurer Bilderberg Meetings

• Philippe, Édouard (FRA), Mayor, Le Havre

• Pottinger, Matthew (USA), Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution

• Pouyanné, Patrick (FRA), Chair and CEO, TotalEnergies SE

• Rachman, Gideon (GBR), Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, The Financial Times

• Ramírez, Pedro J. (ESP), Director, El Español

• Rappard, Rolly van (NLD), Co-Founder and Co-Chair, CVC Capital Partners

• Reynders, Didier (INT), European Commissioner for Justice

• Röttgen, Norbert (DEU), MP, German Bundestag

• Rutte, Mark (NLD), Prime Minister

• Salomon, Martina (AUT), Editor-in-Chief, Kurier

• Sawers, John (GBR), Executive Chair, Newbridge Advisory Ltd.

• Schadlow, Nadia (USA), Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

• Schallenberg, Alexander (AUT), Minister for European and International Affairs

• Schmidt, Eric E. (USA), Former CEO and Chair, Google LLC

• Schmidt, Wolfgang (DEU), Head of the Chancellery, Federal Minister for Special Tasks

• Sebastião, Nuno (PRT), Chair and CEO, Feedzai

• Sikorski, Radoslaw (POL), MEP, European Parliament

• Silva, Filipe (PRT), CEO, Galp

• Stilwell de Andrade, Miguel (PRT), CEO, EDP

• Stoltenberg, Jens (INT), Secretary General, NATO

• Subramanian, Arvind (INT), Senior Fellow in International and Public Affairs, Brown University

• Tellis, Ashley J. (USA), Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs, Carnegie Endowment

• Thiel, Peter (USA), President, Thiel Capital LLC

• Tsu, Jing (USA), Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University

• Tugendhat, Tom (GBR), Minister of State for Security

• Vadera, Shriti (GBR), Chair, Prudential plc

• Vassilakis, Eftichios (GRC), Chair, Aegean Group

• Waldron, John (USA), President and COO, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

• Wallenberg, Marcus (SWE), Chair, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB

• Wennink, Peter (NLD), President and CEO, ASML Holding NV

• Wright, Thomas (USA), Senior Director for Strategic Planning, National Security Council

• Yang, Yuan (GBR), Europe-China Correspondent, Financial Times

• Yergin, Daniel (USA), Vice Chair, S&P Global

• Yinanç, Barçin (TUR), Journalist, T24 News Website

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