Europe enters 2026 at a decisive stage. The focus is shifting from targets and frameworks to implementation, investment and measurable results. The question is no longer whether Europe will transition, but whether it can deliver at the scale and speed required while safeguarding competitiveness and social stability.

This opening conversation will look at what comes next. How can Europe sustain climate leadership while facing industrial pressure, geopolitical uncertainty and global competition? What does energy independence mean in practice in a more fragmented world? And how can the clean transition strengthen Europe’s economy rather than expose new vulnerabilities?

As Europe moves from plans to projects, the interview will highlight the strategic choices that will shape its energy and industrial future in the years to come.

As Europe seeks to consolidate its leadership in the global digital economy, data centres are emerging as the backbone of competitiveness and innovation, powering not only digitalisation and cloud services but also the rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence across industries.

At the same time, these infrastructures are highly resource-intensive, consuming significant amounts of electricity and water for cooling. Europe faces the challenge of aligning the growth of AI-driven innovation with its sustainability and decarbonisation objectives. This panel will explore current and future solutions for integrating AI-enabled data centres sustainably into the European energy system and examine how EU legislation can support these efforts.

Pipelines, terminals, grids, and data centres have become strategic assets in a world of drones, cyber intrusions, and hybrid threats. Energy infrastructure is no longer only regulated and financed. It is now a frontline element of Europe’s security landscape.

This discussion will bring together defence, energy, and industry voices to look at how Europe protects and hardens its energy backbone. It will explore hybrid threat scenarios, dual-use technologies, risk mapping, resilience standards, and the respective roles of public authorities and private operators in planning, prevention, and response.

Cities are central to Europe’s energy transition. They concentrate energy demand, infrastructure investment, and climate action across buildings, mobility, local energy systems and public services. The EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities supports cities in turning European climate and energy objectives into integrated, practical pathways that can be delivered at scale.

This interview will explore how European cities can move towards climate neutrality by 2030, while acting as innovation and experimentation hubs for others to follow by 2050. It will focus on how urban climate strategies integrate energy efficiency, electrification, renewable energy and mobility, and how Climate City Contracts and related investment frameworks can align local action with EU energy policy and financing tools. The discussion will also consider how lessons from leading cities can inform broader energy system planning and support replication across Europe.

Europe’s industrial future will depend on decarbonising quickly and affordably while keeping investment, production, and innovation in Europe. The real test now is delivery at scale, in a context where energy systems, critical infrastructure and clean technology supply chains are increasingly exposed to disruption, cyber risk and geopolitical pressure. Competitiveness and security are now closely linked.

Reaching the next phase of the transition will require faster infrastructure build-out, clearer investment signals and stronger cross-border coordination. It will also require resilient networks, secure digital systems and more robust supply chains for key technologies, including electrification solutions. Innovation and emerging technologies are part of this agenda, both to improve system performance and to strengthen resilience.

This high-level lunch will bring together senior leaders to discuss how Europe can reinforce competitiveness through the clean energy transition while reducing strategic vulnerabilities.

Innovative projects and high-growth cleantech companies too often lose valuable time navigating complex permitting procedures, fragmented rules and uncertainty around public support frameworks. At the same time, the scale and speed required for Europe’s energy transition demand well designed, targeted and predictable State aid instruments that crowd in private capital without distorting competition.

This panel will examine how regulatory simplification and State aid policy can work together to accelerate project deployment and innovation. It will explore how to ensure faster approvals, clearer eligibility criteria and greater predictability for SMEs and scaleups, while maintaining a level playing field across Member States. Policymakers, entrepreneurs and investors will discuss how public support can be better targeted, more efficient and more compatible with long-term competitiveness and competition principles.

Electrification is the foundation of Europe’s decarbonisation and competitiveness strategy. Yet many grids were not built for this scale and speed of change. Investment needs are huge, timelines are tight, and delays can derail business plans.

This session will look at how Europe can upgrade and extend its grid infrastructure while keeping the system reliable and affordable. It will cover interconnections, smarter planning, storage integration, and new flexibility tools, always from the perspective of project pipelines and industrial needs.

In a world of tighter resources, climate stress, and geopolitical risk, waste streams and water are becoming strategic assets. Circular economy models and resource efficiency are essential tools to stabilise costs, secure inputs, and strengthen Europe’s industrial base.

Water is also a central part of the circular economy. It must be managed in a circular way through efficiency, reuse and recovery. Water is equally a key enabler of energy production and the broader clean transition. The water-energy nexus is a strategic question for Europe’s competitiveness.

This panel will explore how industrial actors use secondary raw materials, advanced recycling and better water management to improve resilience and support clean technology deployment. This panel will showcase how industrial actors are already using these tools, including better water management, to strengthen resilience and support clean technology deployment.

Europe faces a strategic challenge: strengthening energy security and strategic autonomy while accelerating the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy system. Geopolitical tensions, market volatility and rising demand are reshaping Europe’s energy landscape, increasing external vulnerabilities but also creating a window of opportunity for the EU to lead globally in clean technologies and sustainable energy models. Building on the Antwerp Declaration, this panel will examine how Europe can safeguard its energy future by diversifying its energy mix, reinforcing resilience, maintaining affordability for industry and consumers, and leveraging the clean energy transition to drive innovation, enhance technological leadership, and shape global sustainability standards. It will also discuss how Europe can balance its ambition for greater autonomy with the need for deeper cross-border cooperation, positioning the EU as a global leader in the green economy.

High Level Address of Selwin Charles Hart, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition

Energy infrastructure is a cornerstone of the European Union’s strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and economic resilience. As the EU accelerates electrification, scales up renewable energy generation, and diversifies energy carriers, the central challenge is no longer ambition, but the capacity to deliver at speed and at scale across Member States. Europe’s energy transition depends on an integrated, cross-border approach that connects offshore energy hubs, reinforced electricity grids, hydrogen and CO₂ networks, and industrial demand centres into a coherent European system.

This session explores how coordinated infrastructure investment, technological innovation, and enhanced cooperation between Member States can strengthen Europe’s energy backbone. It will examine how EU-level policy frameworks, private investment, and cross-border governance must align to ensure security of supply, affordability for citizens and industry, and long-term competitiveness. By focusing on delivery and system integration, the discussion will highlight how Europe can turn its energy transition into a strategic advantage for its economy and its global position.