Europe as a Task 2026

Day 1 05/05/2026

13:00 - 14:00 Spanish Hall, Prague Castle

Day 1: Arrival and Registration of the Participants

Caution: Access to the venue will be restricted between 14:10 and 15:00

14:30 - 15:00

Keynote Speeches

Petr Pavel President of Czechia

Alexander Stubb President of Finland

15:00 - 15:30

High-level Chat

Petr Pavel President of Czechia

Alexander Stubb President of Finland

15:30 - 16:30

Expert Discussion: European Geopolitical Reset with the Economic Security in the Forefront

Karel Havlíček Minister of Industry and Trade, Czechia

Maria Demertzis European University Institute

Violeta Luca Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone

Radek Špicar Vice-President, Confederation of Industry

16:30 - 17:30

Glass of Wine

Day 2 06/05/2026

8:00 - 9:00 Museum of Decorative Arts

Day 2: Arrival and Registration of the participants

9:00 - 9:15

Words of Welcome and Opening Remarks

Milena Hrdinková Advisor to the Prime Minister on EU Affairs, Czechia

9:15 - 9:45

European Chat: Bringing Geoeconomics into the Game

Michal Pěchouček Rector, Czech Technical University in Prague

9:45 - 10:15

Presentation: Thin Ice, Thick Tensions: Europe and Polar Power Politics

Chiara Rinaldi Intelligence Analyst, Research & Analysis Division, Politico

Izabela Kantor Intelligence Analyst, Research & Analysis Division, Politico

10:15 - 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 - 12:00

Fishbowl: Building Realistic European Scale-up Strategy for Digital SMEs

The Commission has launched a comprehensive strategy to transform Europe into the best place in the world to launch and grow technology-driven innovative companies. The EU does not lack start-ups nor talent to generate innovation, but scaling presents a persistent weakness. Firms have to navigate 27 legal systems, with compliance costs that increase as they grow. Capital markets remain shallow and fragmented. Companies looking to scale therefore continue to turn outside the EU for both capital and market access. This discussion will focus on three areas where progress has been repeatedly stalled: whether simplification can meaningfully reduce burden on companies; whether the Savings and Investment Union can deliver deeper and more integrated capital markets; and whether the “28th regime” can function as a practical, business-friendly alternative rather than an additional layer.

Heleen Bakker Director General for European Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands

Alexandr Hobza Director General for European Cooperation, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands

David Müller Director General for European Union and Foreign Trade, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Czechia

Christophe de Nijs Director General for European Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Belgium

Monika Vrbková Head of Scaleup Team, JIC

Moderator: Filip Křenek Project Coordinator and Analyst, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy

12:00 - 13:15

Lunch

13:15 - 14:15

Fishbowl: Digital Sovereignty in a Cold Transatlantic Climate; Dependencies and Choices for Europe

The EU’s reliance on U.S. tech companies means that four in five European enterprises are tied to foreign platforms for their data operations. As the EU has recognized this as a threat to its autonomy, the block has developed a set of tools, including the AI Act and DSA that seem to be open for revision as current geopolitical shifts show unsustainability of EU’s tech regulation in its current form. The lack of innovation is one of the key causes of Europe’s economic decline. The key question is how to balance EU’s high-tech competitiveness with tech sovereignty.

Jean Carberry Assistant Secretary, Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Government of Ireland

Dita Charanzová Board Member, CEPS

Vladimíra Chlandová Board Member, Vodafone

Lukáš Kačena Government Envoy for AI, Czechia

Michael Toutonghi Former Corporate Vice President and founder of the eHome division at Microsoft

Věra Jourová Former Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency

Moderator: Asya Metodieva Institute of International Relations Prague, Czechia

14:15 - 14:30

Short Coffee Break

14:30 - 15:00

European Chat: Reinventing the European Pillar of Defence

Timo Pesonen Director-General for Defence Industry and Space, European Commission

15:00 - 15:45

Fishbowl: Exploring New Instruments for Boosting European Defence Industry

The current security environment is reshaping the EU’s ambition for its defence industry, highlighting bottlenecks in scaling up European defence production and ways to overcome them. Initiatives such as SAFE and common procurement are assessed in terms of their potential to reduce fragmentation of the European defence market despite persistent national instincts. The debate will also address how Europe can balance rapid procurement with innovation and competitiveness, while strengthening its strategic autonomy and maintaining the transatlantic relationship

Arthur De Liedekerke Partner & Senior Director, Rasmussen Global

Radka Konderlová Director General for Industrial Cooperation, Ministry of Defence, Czechia

Andra Migiu Head of Division for the Security and Defence, European Investment Bank

Moderator: Boris Kaliský Association for International Affairs

15:45 - 16:00