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 Forum’s first flagship convening will take place in Greece from 15-17 May 2026.
The Forum is a year-round platform for structured dialogue and cooperation. 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.
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 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.
