In the period 17-18 December, within the framework of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the second international conference on scientific diplomacy was held under the title ‘Overcoming divisions in a fragmented world’ with the participation of government experts, representatives of the academic community, NGO sector and business environments. The Diplomatic Institute was presented at the conference by Dr. Valentin Katranjiev, chief expert in the ‘Education, Research and Project Activities’ department.

The two-day forum has become a meaningful and critical platform for discussing a wide range of issues in the field of scientific diplomacy. The main highlights of speeches and discussions:

The EU faces fierce competition in the field of research and development applied on a global scale. The geopolitical environment is characterized by increasing fragmentation and hostility in relation to international scientific cooperation;

A genuine and open dialogue is needed for the role of science in the current geopolitical context and the challenges of maintaining an open and secure scientific system at the same time;

Breakthrough achievements in science and technology are changing the MO’s system and affecting people’s lives. In this sense, scientific diplomacy is that ‘connecting fabric’ that is called to contribute to a peaceful world and help the sustainable management of global public goods (Global Commons), incl. those outside the national jurisdiction and to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals;

Scientific diplomacy should support free research, educational, high-tech and innovative exchanges and thus promote the strengthening of the internal and external dimensions of the European Research Area (‘Fifth Freedom’);

In this regard, the increased use of research and innovation as a geostrategic resource should not lead to the cessation of free research cooperation and exchange;

The EU strives to build equal partnerships in the field of scientific diplomacy with other regions in the field, including with medium and underdeveloped countries of the global South;

EU involvement in international scientific cooperation should be enhanced under the auspices of international governmental organizations (through the instrumentality of scientific diplomacy);

Scientific diplomacy, also known as ‘stakeholder diplomacy’ (Multistakeholder Diplomacy), includes a wide range of non-governmental actors who can contribute significantly to the conduct of successful scientific diplomacy and to overcome divisions in a fragmented world.

The Diplomatic Institute is a leading institution in Bulgaria for the formation of in-depth and systematic knowledge and expertise in this promising field of diplomacy and works for its integration into the country’s foreign policy toolkit. For several years, the issues of scientific diplomacy have been included in the educational and research activities of the Institute. The Diplomatic Institute represents the Bulgarian diplomatic service in the informal working group of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/DC of the EU, dealing with the issues of scientific diplomacy and with the preparation of a pan-European framework of scientific diplomacy, to be adopted as a document at the level of the Council of the EU.