Defence Technology at Scale or Innovation Without Deployment

At what point does AI adoption become a competitiveness requirement, not a choice?Why is AI adoption happening faster than previous technologies (e.g. smartphones, cloud)?Can SMEs use AI as a competitive advantage against larger players?Are current policy and regulatory frameworks enabling or slowing down AI adoption?How far should AI adoption go in the public sector, and how can governments overcome procurement, risk, and legacy-system barriers that make it difficult to buy and deploy new technologies such as AI?Speakers: Agnese Jaunošāne, COO & co-founder, AjelixGatis Ozols, Deputy State Secretary for Digital Transformation, Government CIO, Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional DevelopmentTanja Wahlberg, Head of Division, European Investment BankMiguel Alvarez, Chief Data & AI Officer, Orange BusinessGisli Ragnar Gudmundsson, Co-Lead, New Nordics AIJörg Müller-Lietzkow, President, HafenCity University

Is the EU acting as a coherent player globally, or are member states competing individually?Are current EU frameworks actually enabling companies from smaller countries to compete globally?Are we exporting process and complexity along with innovation – are EU’s institutional and regulatory frameworks helping or slowing down international digital partnerships?Is digital where Europe has a real competitive advantage globally?Are current EU financial instruments (EIB, EBRD, Global Gateway) effective in supporting digital expansion abroad?Speakers:Chloe Teevan, Associate Director, Geostrategy, ECDPMDr. Juris Binde, President & Chairman of the Management Board, LMT GroupPeteris Ustubs, Director, Central Asia, Asia and Pacific, DG International Partnerships, European CommissionAndriy Mitskan, Strategic Advisor, Expertise FranceDoina Nistor, Board President, MOLDOVA HITECH PARKJulian Burns, Principal Banker, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Do you think gravity holds the earth together? Perhaps until the 21st century, but nowadays connectivity plays an equally important part. Most processes worldwide nowadays take place with some kind of connectivity-facilitated solution. In this 40 minute long podcast, join in to explore what experts from Central Asia and Europe have to say about connectivity, and how it is bringing the two regions closer.Speakers:Viesturs Bērziņš: Latvian Development Cooperation Agency (CFCA), Lead ExpertJulia Schweitzer: Expertise France, EU-Funded “Global Gateway” Project: “Connectivity for Central Asia - C4CA”, Team LeaderJavokhir Abdullaev: State Technical University of Bukhara, ProfessorUlugbek Ibragimov: State Technical University of Bukhara ProfessorAziz Soltobaev: Internet Society of Kyrgyzstan, one of the leading digitalization experts in Kyrgyzstan

In a context of digital sovereignty, is Europe building sufficient independent satellite capability, or becoming dependent on external providers?Which use cases are actually generating revenue today — and which are still speculative?Is the current regulatory framework fit for the growth of satellite connectivity?What is the one capability Europe must build in satellite connectivity in the next 5 years to remain competitive and secure?How can European telecom and technology industries adapt themselves to space age and turn satellite connectivity into socio-economic benefits?Speakers:Gokhan Tok, Associate Director, Access PartnershipAlexandre Vallet, Chief, Space Services Department, Radiocommunication Bureau, International Telecommunication UnionAigars Benders, Technical director, LMTUwe Baeder, Director Global Corporate Affairs, Rohde & SchwarzMieke de Regt, Public Policy Manager, Amazon

Are Member States on track to deliver usable and certified EUDI Wallets, and what is still missing?Is Europe’s range of national implementation models a strength or a source of fragmentation?How will Europe ensure that nationally developed EUDI Wallets work seamlessly across all Member States?Do users understand the wallet’s potential beyond digital identification? How should countries market the EUDI Wallet to build public awareness, trust and adoption?How can Europe prevent digital wallets from enabling surveillance, exclusion or function creep?Speakers:Julia Gifford, Co-founder, TruesixRinalds Celmiņš, Director of the Digital Policy Department, Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development of Latvia (VARAM)Karoline Põder, Head of eID, Ministry of Justice and Digital AffairsRiho Kurg, Country Manager Estonia, ZetesGertjan Bouwers, sr. Policy Advisor Digital Identity, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom relations - the NetherlandsMadis Ehastu, Policy Officer, European Commission

As Europe faces a persistently high cyber threat level, what does “good enough” digital security look like for national critical infrastructure?Are operators of data centres, fibre networks, subsea cables, and cloud services now part of the national security architecture — and should they be regulated accordingly?How should operators prepare for the quantum era?Where is the weakest link today: technology, supply chains, human behaviour, legacy systems, or coordination between institutions and operators?What role can AI play in defending critical infrastructure, and where does it create new risks for attackers and defenders alike?Speakers:Ieva Treija, PR & Comms Strategist, UniLab | FindayTami Shachar, Qubit IL, CEODmitrijs Nikitins, CTO, TETMāris Purnis, SOC Lead, LVRTCJessica Maes, Program Manager, National Cyber Security Center of the NetherlandsValentina Stadnic, Programme Officer, ITU

What role will AI gigafactories play in Europe’s digital infrastructure?What makes a data centre truly sovereign — location, ownership, or control?How do we balance energy consumption, sustainability goals and digital growth?What is the one constraint that will most limit Europe’s ability to scale data centres in the next 5 years?Andrii Degeler, Head of News, Dealroom.coAndris Gailītis, CEO, DelskaNils Kleemann, Customer CTO Europe, NOKIAMichał Baranowski, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of PolandJuliana Koza, Director for Government Affairs, QualcommMartins Cakste, CEO, Latvenergo

Why are we good at developing defence innovations, but often struggling at deploying them at scale?What is the one change in procurement, policy, or industry that would unlock defence technology deployment at scale?Why don’t militaries “stockpile” innovation the same way they stockpile ammunition?How can Europe and NATO scale and export defence technologies commercially while protecting the sensitive know-how and capabilities that give those technologies their strategic value?Why is cross-border defence tech collaboration in Europe still so limited?Speakers:Eva SulaDefence Strategic Advisor, NATO DIANA defence mentor, IndependentUģis NorītisUndersecretary of State for Planning, Ministry of Defence of the Republic of LatviaSalvis SkladovsDirector, LMT DefenceHenrik BliddalHead of National Security and Defense, NOKIAAdam Poirier (Lt.Col)Division Chief Engineer, Lead for Division Testing and Experimentation Cell (DTEC), NATO

Is the Digital Networks Act ambitious enough to strengthen Europe’s telecoms sector and the competitiveness of Europe as a whole?Can (and should) Europe move closer to a truly single telecoms market?Could the DNA unlock investments to close the connectivity investment gap?What is the right balance between simplification, consumer protection, competition and regulatory oversight?Should the Digital Networks Act define a relationship between European telecom operators and other players in the ecosystem, given their different roles in the value chain?Speakers:Veronica BocarovaHead of Regulatory Training & Capacity Building, Cullen InternationalLaszlo TothHead of Europe and Central Asia, GSMAOlga SihmaneHead of Connectivity and Infrastructure Policy, Europe, MetaAlejandra de Iturriaga GandiniDirector of Telecommunications and Audiovisual Sector / Incoming Chair 2027, Spanish National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) / BERECNormunds EgleLegal Officer, European Commission

Keynote speech by Marko Mišmaš, Incoming Chair 2026, BEREC