Thu. 5
June
2025
Welcoming words
Opening Interview: Is the EU Going to Reach its 2030 Targets?
Fireside Chat: How to Turn Digital Targets into Reality
Is the Capital Market Union the Key to Financing Europe’s Digital Future?
As Europe seeks to scale its tech sector and close the funding gap for digital innovation, its competition and financing rules are under growing scrutiny. The Capital Markets Union (CMU) has promised to knit national markets into a single financing ecosystem that can fund digital innovators of all sizes. At the same time, the EU’s antitrust and state aid rules must strike a careful balance: supporting innovation and market access without distorting competition or discouraging investment.
With the EU’s Digital Decade targets for 2030 setting ambitious goals for connectivity, digital skills, and the digital transformation of businesses – ensuring the right enabling conditions is more important than ever. This session will confront the question: is the EU’s toolkit fit for purpose? How can state aid complement private funding and the CMU without breaching EU rules? Is the EU striking the right balance between fostering scale and safeguarding fairness?
The Future of AI – Key Factors for Responsible Innovation
Europe stands at a crossroads – striving to harness AI’s full potential while safeguarding the bloc’s fundamental, ethical and security principles. This panel will unpack the twin imperatives of rapid AI progress and robust safeguards, and how we should support AI growth in Europe without sacrificing competitiveness or enabling AI-enabled threats.
The discussion will examine the EU AI Act and related frameworks, asking how clear, risk-based rules, harmonised guidance, and front-line law-enforcement insights can close security gaps, ease compliance burdens, and spur responsible investments. The session will surface concrete recommendations to help Brussels turn its ethical frameworks into engines of innovation, not roadblocks to growth.
Striking the Balance: Between Innovation and Regulation
The EU has long championed a human-centric digital economy — empowering citizens and businesses, regardless of their size – through landmark regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the 2024 Data Act. Yet, these very safeguards designed to protect citizens often sit uneasily with the demands of today's data-intensive business models.
This panel will unpack how Europe can uphold its global leadership in digital rights without throttling growth. It will explore how firms – both large and small – are shouldering GDPR’s compliance costs and whether the EU’s regulatory and legal framework can keep pace with fast-evolving technologies like AI without hampering progress or reducing investment. At the heart of the conversation lies a critical question: how can Europe turn regulation into a competitive advantage by building lasting public trust in the digital ecosystem?
Google's Commitment to Europe: Powering Europe's Competitiveness and Security with AI
Enhancing European Competitiveness Through Open and Secure Digital Ecosystems
As Europe positions itself as a global tech leader, attention is turning on how the bloc can strike the right balance between innovation, consumer protection, and open ecosystems. This panel will explore how keeping the consumer central can unlock innovation, drive growth, and build an open and interoperable digital ecosystem – without compromising on safety. From empowering users to make informed decisions to ensuring security across platforms, the conversation will focus on practical steps for industry and regulators alike.
With major legislation like the Digital Markets Act entering its implementation phase, discussions will also explore how openness and security can coexist through thoughtful regulation and best practices and can be hardwired into the next phase of EU tech policy – making digital innovation work better for consumers and the wider economy.
High Level Lunch (members only)
Networking Lunch
In the Digital Battleground, What is the EU’s Role in the Tech War?
Long before the new U.S. Administration came into office, the tech war between the United States and China has begun to reshape global dynamics. From semiconductors to AI, there are few digital technologies that have been spared from the fight as the giants are redrawing the world along digital battle lines. For the U.S., this is a question of national security. For China, it has continued to push the Chinese Digital Skill Road and the Made in China 2025 initiative. Now, the European Union finds itself caught between strategic autonomy and economic dependence.
This panel explores the EU's ambiguous role in the global Tech War. Is it a passive bystander, a balancing force, or an emerging player in its own right? What does the EU stand to gain or lose from the deepening rift between Washington and Beijing? As the digital future is carved out by clashing titans, the EU must define not only its strategy—but its identity.
Cybersecurity in the EU: Safeguarding Europe's Digital Infrastructure
As Europe increasingly integrates digital technologies into every sector, the importance of cybersecurity in safeguarding its infrastructure cannot be overstated. This panel will address the growing challenges of securing Europe’s digital landscape, from critical infrastructure to public services, against cyber threats.
Key discussions will focus on the evolving nature of cyberattacks, the importance of data protection, and the policies needed to strengthen Europe’s cybersecurity defences. The session will explore how collaboration between the EU, national governments, and the private sector can create a unified and resilient cybersecurity strategy. By tackling these issues, Europe can enhance its digital resilience and continue to grow as a leader in the global digital economy.
Coffee Break
Can Europe Boost Competitiveness in a Rapidly Changing Global Digital Economy?
As the global digital economy accelerates, Europe faces unique challenges: it must harness digital innovation to remain competitive while shaping a regulatory environment that reflects its values and global ambitions. This session will explore how Europe can leverage cutting-edge technologies and take the lead in setting international digital standards, foster cross-border collaboration, and build a sustainable, resilient digital economy.
Discussions will examine the interplay between trade, regulation, and innovation – discussing what digital tools and strategies can help secure Europe’s strategic interests on the global stage. The conversation will also focus on boosting competitiveness through fostering digital skills, aligning digital standards, supporting startups and SMEs, expanding access to capital, and ensuring fair competition with global players. Together, these insights will help define Europe’s path to global digital leadership.
Closing Remarks
Cocktail Reception