August 13, 2025
Navigating geopolitical risk in turbulent times
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Geopolitics panel speaker line-up at The Tomorrow Show 2025
Every year, we look forward to The Tomorrow Show’s featured panel discussions where industry leaders gather for engaging discussions around topics like technology and geopolitics.
This year is no exception. From geopolitics and privacy to the growing influence of politicised technology, our expert panelists will bring deep insight and diverse perspectives to the conversation. Here’s a preview of some key topics they will explore on stage.
Geopolitical risks in 2025
KPMG’s recent report on top geopolitical risks 2025 highlights three key issues that dominate the global risk landscape:
- Major shifts in power, trade and economic centers
- A fragmented and increasingly complex tax and regulatory environment
- An increasingly politicised trade and technology landscape
It also surfaces challenges like threats to supply chains and infrastructure, and how growing political pressures at the intersection of demography, technology and culture influence today’s workforce.
How is geopolitical risk changing and what does this mean for industry today?
Here we expect panelists to discuss how the international order is being challenged from the inside – like through the Trump administration and some key members in the EU – and the outside, by China and Russia. Dual use technology, the need for critical minerals, concerns regarding the vulnerability of supply chains, and the role of civilian industry components in conflict... these all raise new issues for regulation, investment and export control.
Catch-all rules for energy
One area under scrutiny is the treatment of ‘dual-use technologies’ – certain goods, like O&G extraction technologies or energy infrastructure components, often fall into this category. Civilian in design, but potentially military in use. The European Union’s export control framework already includes special provisions to regulate these, but dual-use technologies often exist outside of export control regulations.
As the EU Energy Policy continues to prioritise decarbonisation, competitiveness and supply security, so-called ‘catch-all’ export rules are becoming more influential. These policies are designed to respond flexibly to geopolitical volatility including sanctions, conflicts and shifting trade alliances – but they also raise critical questions about consistency, enforcement and global cooperation.
What are the main geo-economic policy tools used by European states and the EU?
Anticipate panel discussions to revolve around how the EU’s (and Norway’s) regulatory policy tools are being adapted to this new geo-economic scene, including sanctions and export controls. These regulations reach far beyond the EU’s Single Market, particularly when it comes to energy. How this might shape trade alliances, in the context of conflict with Russia, rivalry with China, and volatile US foreign policy, is an open question.
The reach of regulation: Extraterritoriality effects
In an increasingly interconnected world, borders can appear more fluid than their geographical boundaries. The EU’s environmental law reaches beyond Europe when it comes to things like the commission’s sustainability criteria for biofuels, ship recycling and exports of electrical and electronic waste.
These policies can shape operations far afield, especially when framed as addressing national security, global climate objectives or sanctions enforcement. And while such policies serve vital goals, they also raise legitimate questions about fairness, sovereignty and the balance of power in global governance.
As extraterritoriality increases, will global supply chains become more resilient and responsible – or just more fragmented and adversarial?
An interesting discussion promises to follow as panelists weigh in on this topic.
Leadership in an uncertain geopolitical landscape
Emerging technologies, critical minerals and supply chain dependencies continue to shift the balance of influence, challenging historical alliances and forging new ones.
How should governments and businesses collaborate in a world where trade, policy and security are deeply interwoven?
After all, industry is not just a target of political risk in this rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. It also plays an increasingly important and integral role in dealing with and managing political risk. This raises a number of questions about good corporate risk management, as well as the cooperation between business and government in societal security and resilience – topics that our panelists can’t wait to explore at The Tomorrow Show.
Join us as we delve into the key issues shaping the future of energy, regulation and geopolitics.
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