About FMRS — 2026 edition:

In 2026, the Free Market Road Show (FMRS) marks a historic milestone: its 20th anniversary. Since its inception in 2007 across four cities, the Road Show has grown into a global platform for dialogue—having hosted 501 events in 104 cities over the last 19 years.

FMRS 2026 is also a “Year of Anniversaries of Ideas.” As we hit the road for the twentieth time, we commemorate 250 years of The Wealth of Nations, 250 years of American Independence, and 66 years of The Constitution of Liberty. This makes 2026 a particularly fitting occasion to explore the vital intersection of constitutional principles, law, and economics, and what they mean for freedom, innovation, and prosperity today.

True to the tradition of the Austrian School, FMRS continues to champion voluntary cooperation and the open exchange of ideas. Across around 40 host cities worldwide, we invite audiences to discuss how market-based solutions can address the challenges of the 21st century—while preserving integrity, accountability, and the rule of law.

Bucharest 2026 — local relevance within the global agenda

The Bucharest edition connects this global conversation with Europe’s strategic priority of strengthening competitiveness. It focuses on how free markets, smart simplification (clarity, coherence, proportionality—not deregulation), and corporate governance can work together to reduce unnecessary complexity, enable better strategic decisions, and unlock investment, productivity, and innovation.

In Romania, the discussion is also relevant in the context of SOE reform (in general terms) and the country’s OECD accession ambition—both of which raise expectations for governance, transparency, and credible implementation capacity.

The Free Market Road Show (FMRS) is one of the most prestigious international dialogue platforms dedicated to economic freedom, governance, competitiveness, and the future of capitalism. Held annually across European capitals and key international economic hubs, FMRS brings together renowned economists, corporate leaders, board members, entrepreneurs, and public decision-makers to debate the forces shaping the global economic architecture.

Register:

Participation is free of charge, however it is strictly by prior registration and confirmation.
Please complete the registration form; you will receive a confirmation email. Entry to the event is available only to confirmed participants.
Parking is available on the premises – car registration number is required for access.

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🎯 Panel Discussion: Free Market and Red Tape

The panel explores how can we shift from bureaucracy and procedural compliance to economic rationality and accountability, and how smart simplification can become a competitive advantage—across private companies, listed companies, and entities with a public mandate.

The discussion will cover:

• Free markets & competitiveness: real competition, clear rules, efficient capital allocation
• Smart simplification: clarity, coherence, proportionality; reducing unnecessary complexity
• Board autonomy and accountability: who decides, who is responsible, how performance is measured
• From “paper profiles” to fit-for-purpose boards: real capabilities for transformation, investment oversight, and risk governance (not just formal qualifications)
• Clear shareholder strategic objectives and measurable KPIs: without clear objectives, both selection (board/executives) and performance become formalistic

How governance enables transformation and innovation: technology, AI, cybersecurity, productivity

Agenda:

11:00 – 11:30 Arrival & registration
11:30 – 11:40 Official opening – FMRS Bucharest 2026 – Alina Prahoveanu AAI Chairwoman, INED Posta Romana SA
11:40 – 12:40 Free Market and Red Tape

🎤 Moderator: Daniela Nemoianu – Board Member - AmCham, INED BCR

🗣️ Guest speakers

• Alina Prahoveanu – AAI Chairwoman, INED Posta Romana SA
• Cristian Năsulea - Lecturer at the University of Bucharest, Executive Director of IES-Europe
• George Rîpă – Public policy and institutional reform expert
• Lorenzo Montanari – International expert in public policy and governance
• Maria - Gabriela Horga – Senator, Chair of the Budget Committee; associate professor at FABIZ, Bucharest University of Economic Studies
• Pierre Garello – Professor of Economics, Aix-Marseille University; Director, Institute for Economic Studies-Europe
• Pieter Cleppe – EU policy analyst; Editor-in-Chief, BrusselsReport.eu
• Radu Crăciun – AAI VicePresident, CEO, BCR Pensii

12:40 – 13:00 Audience Q&A
13:00 – 13:15 Closing takeaways (AAI + FMRS)

Guests:

Alina Prahoveanu

Alina Prahoveanu is Chair of the Independent Directors Association (AAI) in Romania and an advocate of corporate governance as a practical lever for competitiveness. She brings boardroom experience as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at Poșta Română, and at European level as a Board Member and Audit Committee Chair of ecoDa – the European Confederation of Directors’ Associations. With an executive background (CFO/Interim CEO), she believes good corporate governance is not just “compliance”—it is a tool for competitiveness and a catalyst for transformation and innovation in a volatile, rapidly changing economic environment, enabling better strategic decisions, capital allocation discipline and risk oversight. She holds an MA in Board

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Christian Nasulea

Christian Nasulea is Executive Director at the Institute for Economic Studies – Europe. He teaches economics at the Faculty of History of the University of Bucharest and he is an associate lecturer at the Faculty of Business Administration in Foreign Languages of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. His courses cover topics such as Global Economics, Globalization, History of Economic Thought, Business Administration, etc. He holds a Ph.D. in management with a thesis on complex adaptive systems. He is a fellow of the Institut de Recherches Economiques et Fiscales and his research interests mostly focus on economics and technology. In addition to his academic work, he is a tech entrepreneur currently holding positions as CEO or CTO in several tech businesses.

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George Rîpă

George Rîpă is a political consultant and analyst based in Bucharest, with significant experience in communication, media, election campaigns and foreign affairs, and former journalist on Foreign Affairs for the most relevant newspapers in Romania. George is the owner and CEO of “Right Politics”, a political consulting firm. George worked in local (2016-2020), parliamentary (2016 and 2020), presidential (2014 and 2019) and European Parliament elections (in 2019). George is regularly invited on different news TV stations several times a week to discuss local, regional and international relations and also relevant political events globally and locally. George is a History graduate and he has an MBA in international relations at the University of Bucharest, being interested and writing papers on “The relations between NATO and Russia after the fall of communism” (in 2003) and “Russian propaganda, subversion and informational war in Romania, 2007-2017” (in 2017).

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Lorenzo Montanari

Lorenzo Montanari is Director of the international advocacy & affairs at the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) and Executive Director of the Property Rights Alliance (PRA), an advocacy group affiliated with ATR for the protection of physical and intellectual property rights, both domestically and internationally. At Property Rights Alliance, he is in charge of publishing the International Property Rights Index, an international comparative study focussed on intellectual and physical property rights. As Director of international advocacy, Mr Montanari has developed advocacy networks such as the Taxpayers Leaders Forum (TLF); the Coalition Leaders Forum (CLF) and the International Coalition Meeting (ICM) in partnership with Atlas Network. On the international stage, PRA works closely with famed property rights champion and President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) in Lima, Peru, Hernando de Soto and a further 91 think tanks. Previously, he worked for a public affairs firm and for the international department of the GSPM/George Washington University in Washington, DC as well as a political analyst and electoral observer in Latin America. Mr Montanari holds a BA in Political Science, a MA in International Relations from the University of Bologna and MA in Political Management from the George Washington University.

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Pierre Garello

received a MA in Economics and a BS in Applied Mathematics from the University of Aix-Marseille, and a Ph.D. in Economics from New York University where he was a member of the Austrian School Programme. He is presently a Professor at the University of Aix-Marseille where he is also directing the C.A.E. (Centre d’Analyse Economique). Since 1995, he is acting as director of the Institute for Economic Studies-Europe.

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Pieter Cleppe

Pieter Cleppe (LL.M) is a Brussels-based Policy Analyst, focused on EU affairs, Brexit, and the Eurozone. He’s the editor-in-chief of BrusselsReport.eu, an online magazine covering EU affairs, and a Research Fellow for U.S. think tank Property Rights Alliance. He is also a columnist for U.S. National Review Online, The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator and a frequent commentator in European and international media. Between 2008 and 2020, he has headed the Brussels office of the British award-winning EU affairs think tank “Open Europe”. Before that, he practiced law in Belgium, worked as a Belgian government cabinet adviser, and also co-founded Itinera Institute, a Belgian think tank. He holds a law degree from the Catholic University of Leuven (2004) and an LL.M in law and economics from the universities of Hamburg, Bologna, and Vienna (2005). Since 2020, he has been listed among ZN Consulting’s “top 40 EU influencers” on twitter/X.

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Radu Crăciun

Radu Crăciun is Vice-President of the Independent Directors Association (AAI), where he actively contributes to strengthening corporate governance standards and promoting professionalism in board roles in Romania. He has served as CEO of BCR Pensii since 2016, overseeing assets under management exceeding EUR 3 billion. He is also President of the Romanian Private Pensions Association. With over 30 years of experience in financial markets, Radu has held both executive and non-executive positions, building deep expertise in investment management, governance, and capital markets. He is an Associate Professor in the MBA programmes offered by ASEBUSS Business School and frequently engages in academic and public dialogue, including lectures for international visiting students and Romanian universities. Radu is an alumnus of the INSEAD International Directors Programme and maintains an active presence in public economic debates through media appearances and his bilingual blog, www.raducraciun.ro

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Daniela Nemoianu

With over 25 years of experience in business and management consulting at KPMG in Romania and Central and Eastern Europe, she has been involved in hundreds of major transactions and large-scale projects, including greenfield investments, major privatizations, and government initiatives. She has extensive expertise in corporate governance, risk management, corporate finance, regulatory and management consulting, with a specialization in financial services, infrastructure, the public sector, and energy. For the past 5 years, Daniela has led her own law and business consulting firm and has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Erste BCR since 2019. Her distinguished academic background includes a PhD in Financial and Tax Law and multiple professional qualifications. Daniela is actively involved in community projects, particularly those supporting the business environment and education, and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of AmCham Romania and Teach for Romania.

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Maria-Gabriela Horga

Maria-Gabriela Horga, PhD is a Romanian Member of Parliament and Chair of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Banks, with extensive experience in fiscal and economic policy-making. She has also served as State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, coordinating recovery measures during the COVID-19 period, and represents Romania in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, including work on AI and human rights. Alongside her public roles, she is a university lecturer and teaches in English at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), focusing on financial management and business transformation.

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