The Europe Gulf Forum was launched in September 2025 on the margins of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, where more than 30 prime ministers and senior political, investment and business leaders convened to discuss a range of urgent political, economic, and security challenges that will guide the Forum’s priorities and agenda.
The inaugural Europe Gulf Forum took place in Greece on 15-17 May 2026.
Hosted by the Antenna Group in partnership with the Atlantic Council from 15–17 May 2026, the inaugural Europe Gulf Forum brought together 23 heads of state, prime ministers, senior government officials, policymakers, and investors for three days of high-level discussions focused on geopolitics, economic resilience, energy security, supply chains, defense, technology and investment.
The Europe Gulf Forum was conceived by Theodore Kyriakou, Chairman of Antenna Group, as an action-oriented platform: not only a venue for dialogue, but a mechanism to support practical cooperation between Europe and the Gulf at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty and economic transformation.
The Forum is a year-round platform. The annual flagship convening will be supported by leadership gatherings throughout the year - including a recurring session on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, sustaining dialogue and momentum between summits.
The Europe Gulf Forum aims to become a new strategic engine that combines Europe’s industrial depth, technological capability, regulatory leadership and institutional experience with the Gulf’s financial dynamism, strategic reach, energy leadership, and bold innovation ambition.
A Decisive Moment for Europe and the Gulf
The conflict in the Middle East has transformed the regional security landscape and disrupted the global economy. Against this backdrop, the inaugural Europe Gulf Forum is more relevant, necessary, and timely than ever.
Regional Migration Cooperation
The Forum facilitated high-level consensus on enhancing multilateral coordination regarding migration flows, border security, and regional stability across the Central and Eastern Mediterranean. Building on existing regional frameworks, participating leaders focused on the principle of developing joint, coordinated initiatives to address these shared challenges.
Maritime Security Safeguards
A Major Europe-Gulf Energy Investment
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and K Group Capital Partners, reached a decision to invest in Public Power Corporation, the leading integrated energy group in Southeastern Europe. QIA and K Group Capital Partners discussed the opportunity for this investment during the recently held Europe Gulf Forum in Greece.
Institutional Multilateral Framework
Building on the discussions and relationships established in Greece, the Europe Gulf Forum will continue as a permanent platform for strategic dialogue and cooperation between Europe and the Gulf, led by an official operating committee and supported by future leadership convenings. This marks the concrete realization of a process launched in September 2025, establishing a shared responsibility capable of uniting Europe and the Gulf.
The next convening of the Europe Gulf Forum will take place on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York in September 2026.
For years, Antenna has been at the center of promoting meaningful geopolitical dialogue and working to promote a stronger Europe while bridging Europe and the Gulf.
Antenna Group is fully owned by K Group, which is 100% owned by the Kyriakou family, marked by four generations of global entrepreneurial leadership with controlling interests across shipping, media, content and entertainment, asset management, and real estate.
Founded in 1988, Antenna Group has established itself as a leading international media, content, and entertainment organization, owning and operating a diverse portfolio in Europe, North America, and Australia, reaching 140 million people directly and more than 500 million globally through its strategic partnerships. Antenna’s media investments and assets span 37 TV channels—free and pay TV, two streaming services, together with investments in news, content production, cinemas, digital media, e-commerce, radio, music, live events, and education. Now through this acquisition into the new Italian affiliate, the group is poised to grow further in Southern European markets.
With a reputation for objectivity, integrity, and innovation, Antenna Group has a four-decade track record of exceptional returns in its investments. In addition to successfully owning and operating leading media businesses, Antenna Group is a long-standing investor in the media and entertainment industries, including Raine Group - the global merchant bank advising and investing in high-growth sectors of TMT, entertainment and sports, Imagine Entertainment - the iconic Hollywood production company, TelevisaUnivision - the world’s largest Spanish-language media and content organization. The Antenna Group was an early investor in Facebook, Twitter (X), and Spotify before they went public. The Kyriakou family is also an investor in Semafor – the U.S. based, independent, rapidly growing, and highly influential global media and events platform. Since March 2026, the Antenna Group's affiliate has had 100% control of GEDI Gruppo Editoriale, including the newspaper La Repubblica, the radio brands Radio Deejay, Radio Capital, m2o, alongside HuffPost Italia, National Geographic Italia, Limes, and the advertising agency Manzoni.
Guided by its mission to inform and entertain people in a responsible, objective, enriching and balanced way, Antenna Group continues to expand into new markets and pursue bold growth opportunities in an ever-changing media landscape. As the media and entertainment industry undergoes significant transformation driven by technology and evolving consumer behaviors, Antenna Group is actively pursuing new investment opportunities worldwide, leveraging its extensive network, deep expertise, and substantial capital resources.
The Atlantic Council draws on its long-standing expertise in both Europe and the Gulf, leveraging its network and its convening power to foster stronger geopolitical cooperation and economic innovation between the two regions.
The Atlantic Council was established sixty-five years ago to promote and sustain US leadership alongside partners and allies to shape a better future. With a roster of more than 600 fellows in dozens of countries around the world on issues ranging from geopolitics to global finance to energy security, the Atlantic Council is the world’s pre-eminent platform for non-partisan research, analysis and dialogue on the most pressing global challenges and how to address them.
The Atlantic Council’s work on the Europe Gulf Forum is led by its Europe Center, which provides expertise to promote transatlantic leadership and a strong Europe in turbulent times; and its Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs, which provides a forum for shaping a stable and prosperous Middle East and unlocking the region’s human and economic potential.
