The Euronews Adria Summit, scheduled to take place in Belgrade on November 13, has been officially postponed until next year, organisers have confirmed, following a series of withdrawals by prominent invited participants.
In a statement, the organisers said the decision was made after carefully assessing the circumstances and holding discussions with participants, many of whom had reportedly faced pressure to withdraw from the pro-European summit.
“ The safety of all participants and guests is our priority, and the campaign conducted by certain individuals and organisations against the summit threatened to compromise that safety,” the statement said.
Several high-profile guests had already cancelled their participation, including former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
The Euronews Adria Summit is a regional conference bringing together representatives from politics, business, diplomacy, European institutions and the media.
Among those initially expected to attend was Euronews President and Alpac Capital investment company director Pedro Vargas David.
In the days leading up to the event, the announced participants faced growing public scrutiny and questions on social media over the role of Alpac Capital representatives in the acquisition of media outlets belonging to United Media in Serbia, amid allegations concerning efforts to undermine the group’s media independence.
The controversy, combined with the withdrawal of several prominent speakers, preceded the organisers’ decision to postpone the conference until 2027.
