A decisive green transformation of the economy and business is the only path to a secure future for Lithuania, taking into account not only global processes that highlight the importance of green progress, renewable energy and pollution reduction, but also the threat that slow progress is tantamount to a continuing oil age, higher fossil fuel prices and the ability of Vladimir Putin’s empire to finance new wars.

In addition, slower green progress is also the cause of greater economic threats, especially in view of China’s efforts to dominate the era of the green economy. Thus, slower green progress may cause greater economic and geopolitical problems for democracies, and the risk of war for countries bordering Russia and China. Thus, states bordering the most powerful dictatorships should be most concerned about the fastest possible green progress, but, unfortunately, this is very often not the case, because both the destructive and corruptive influence of external forces and the desire to develop the economy for the benefit of dominant capital groups encourage the elite of the states bordering them to increase, rather than reduce, existential threats to the security of their states and people.

It is precisely such a realistic perception of ongoing global processes and threats that encourages us to continue the mission of the Vilnius GreenTech forum to unite the democratic business, political and scientific elite of Lithuania and the EU to achieve the fastest possible green progress. Although we realize that the forces interested in opposing the realization of our mission are much more united and often extremely aggressive, we feel a duty to try to unite citizens to create a secure future.

We have no doubt that from the announced topics of the forum, it is clear that the path of progress we are emphasizing is the safest for both the democracies bordering Russia and China, and for all of humanity. We sincerely hope that our targeted efforts to talk about the most important changes as widely as possible will be beneficial, that the power of green democratic progress will grow, as will the possibility of a long-term peace and a future of prosperous democracies.