Tivat, Montenegro, April 22, 2026 – With more than 1,000 participants, 100 registered media representatives and a program that includes 70 different panels and events, Adria Future Summit 2026 officially opened this morning in Tivat. Judging by the tone of the opening remarks, this is not another conference about abstract optimism. The region is at a turning point. The questions being asked this week in Montenegro are not only about how to attract capital, but how to translate that capital into concrete partnerships, agreements and projects that leave the region with long-term value, both natural and human. The summit is organized for the fourth year in a row by Sustineri Partners in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and under the auspices of the President of Montenegro.
This year’s Summit is being held under a new name. What started as the ESG Adria Summit in 2023 is becoming the Adria Future Summit this year. Sustainability remains at the heart of the conversation, but that conversation is expanding today to include issues of growth, resilience, governance and innovation.
The summit was officially opened by Biljana Braithwaite, founder and CEO of Sustineri Partners, Predrag Leković, Director of Government Relations from Porto Montenegro, and Željko Komnenović, President of the Municipality of Tivat.
“This region has been the subject of other people’s talks for a long time. This Summit exists so that the region can speak about itself on its own behalf,” said Biljana Braithwaite. “Four years since the first gathering, we no longer come here to discuss the future of the region. We come to help build it.”
For the hosts, the Summit is a confirmation that Montenegro can be more than a tourist destination. Željko Komnenović, President of the Municipality of Tivat, emphasized that local communities must be at the center of major investment cycles. “Today, Tivat is not just a city that welcomes guests. Tivat is a place where global visions and local needs intersect. Our task is to ensure that every investment that comes to this city brings long-term value to our citizens,” said Komnenović.
Predrag Leković, director of relations with the Government from Porto Montenegro, reminded that infrastructure must follow social needs. “When we started the story of Porto Montenegro, the vision was to create a world-class destination. Today, that vision is evolving. The real question for all of us in the real estate and tourism industry is how to build projects that are economically profitable, but also socially integrated,” said Leković.
Montenegro is itself at the center of this year’s context. The country has advanced the farthest in negotiations on membership in the European Union and is presiding over the Berlin process this year. It is within this framework, parallel to the Summit, that the Ministerial Energy Forum of the Berlin Process is being held, organized by the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Montenegro and the Secretariat of the Energy Community, with the support of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and within the Regional Climate Partnership of Germany and the Western Balkans.
After the end of the Forum, ministers and investors continue in a joint session dedicated to execution: which projects are ready, which are financially viable, and who is the first to act.
Adria Future Summit 2026 is realized with the support of numerous partners and sponsors, among whom are platinum sponsors Universal Capital Bank (UCB), MTEL and Eagle Hills, while UNIQA, ASMiRA Group and Meter&Control are gold sponsors of the event. Their participation emphasizes the commitment of the private sector to the development of an innovative and sustainable business environment in the region.
Among the more than a hundred panelists and keynote speakers, the following stand out: Milojko Spajić, Prime Minister of Montenegro, John Jovanovich, President and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), Mohamed Alabbar, founder and president of Eagle Hills, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, CEO of Masdar, Annette Kroeber-Riel, Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy for Europe at Google, Cherie Blair, Founder and Chairman of Omnia Strategy, Richard Attias, President of the Executive committee and acting executive director of the Future Investment Initiative Institute, Irena Radović, governor of the Central Bank of Montenegro, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council and executive president of the Heritage Group, Artur Lorkowski, director of the Secretariat of the Energy Community, Amer Kapetanović, secretary general of the Council for Regional Cooperation (RCC), Fridtjof Berge, co-founder and chief business officer of the Antler company, Maida Gorčević, minister for European affairs of the Government of Montenegro, and many others.
The topics of this year’s Summit include, among other things, energy transition, infrastructure priorities, the role of artificial intelligence, the future of tourism, and the protection of human rights in business. Each of them is recognized as an urgent priority of the region.
Over 1,000 decision makers in one place, 70 sessions and three days. It is time to translate the conversations into decisions.