EXPLORE ALL EVENTS!
February 6 – February 7, 2026
Friday February 6, 2026
10:00 | Registration
11:30 | Welcome Coffee | NYE HALLWAY
12:30–1:45 | Opening Ceremony – Leo Varadkar | NYE AUDITORIUM
Launch of the 12th European Conference with a Keynote Speech from Leo Varadkar.
Speaker
Leo Varadkar | Former Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland) and Senior Fellow at the Carr-Ryan Center (Harvard Kennedy School)
Moderator
Mathias Risse | Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy, Director of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights
1:45-2:15 | Welcome Coffee | NYE HALLWAY
2:15–3:30 | Rearming Europe: The Dilemma of European Strategic Autonomy | NYE AUDITORIUM
In today’s geopolitical context marked by great power rivalry, a weakening of the rules-based international order, and growing uncertainty over US security guarantees following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the concept of ‘strategic autonomy’ has become central to the EU’s foreign policy in response to these challenges. This panel will feature perspectives from European Institutions, EU Member States, and NATO to explore how the EU’s quest for strategic autonomy is reshaping its relationships with NATO, the U.S., and other international partners amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. The panel will also address the internal implications of this shift, including questions of policy coherence, political and fiscal dilemmas, institutional power dynamics within the EU, and the future of deterrence in Ukraine.
Speakers
Ivo Daalder | Senior Fellow, Belfer Center, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO
Dr. Benedetta Berti | Secretary General, NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Roland Theis | Member of Parliament, Deutscher Bundestag
Frank Hoffmeister | Head of the Legal Department, European External Action Service, and Professor of International Law, Free University of Brussels
Sanne Cornelia J. Verschuren | Assistant Professor of International Security, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University
François Arbault
Director for Defense Industrial Programs at the European Commission
“With the return of power play, imperialism, an aggresive Russia, and a diminishing U.S. focus on Europe, this has to be Europe’s independence moment.”
“There is a compelling and urgent need for a common culture of cooperation and for massive increase of efficiency.”
2:15–3:30 | Europe’s Global Role: Taking the Lead in International Development | TAUBMAN G50
As the United States withdraws from international development, the question is inevitable: what role should Europe assume? Amid growing geopolitical competition accompanied by persistent migratory pressures, the European Union faces the task of redefining its approach to development cooperation. This panel brings together perspectives ranging from European policy-making to multilateral development financing to examine how Europe is adapting its strategies and strengthening its partnerships with Africa and the rest of the Global South. The discussion focuses on what model of cooperation Europe should use to move forward and what this means for its leadership capacity in an increasingly contested global environment.
Speakers
Hilde Vautmans | Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe, Open Vld Belgium)
Antón Leis García | Director, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation
Roland Siller | CEO, Chairman of the Board, DEG – Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH
Samantha Power | Anna Lindh Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy, former USAID Administrator, former US Ambassador, Harvard university
4:00–5:15 | Flagship Session – Luc Frieden | JFK JR. FORUM
Speaker
Luc Frieden | Prime Minister of Luxembourg
Moderator
Daniel Ziblatt | Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University, Director of Harvard University’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies
4:00–5:15 | Strategic Tech Sovereignty: Europe’s Next Frontier | NYE AUDITORIUM
As Europe seeks to reduce dependence on external suppliers and assert greater control over its technological future, the pursuit of “strategic tech sovereignty” has become a central pillar of EU policy. From AI and quantum computing to defense innovation and semiconductor manufacturing, Europe is striving to build indigenous capacity without severing transatlantic ties that underpin collective security. Yet achieving sovereignty amid global competition requires difficult trade-offs: autonomy vs. interoperability, innovation vs. regulation, and sovereignty vs. alliance coordination. This panel brings together leading policymakers, innovators, and strategists to explore how Europe can pursue technological leadership while maintaining a strong partnership with the United States and NATO.
Speakers
Tommaso Calarco | Director of the Institute of Quantum Control, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
Thanos Dokos | National Security Advisor and Secretary of the National Security Council, Government of Greece
Viktoriia Yaremchuk | Co-Founder & CEO, Farsight Vision
Eric Rosenbach | Senior Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School, Director, Defense, Emerging Technology, and Strategy Program
5:45–7:00 | Periphery to Frontline: Rethinking Security in the Arctic | NYE AUDITORIUM
As the Arctic moves from a zone of exceptional cooperation to one of heightened strategic competition, allies face growing challenges in aligning threat perceptions, security priorities, and political interests. This panel examines how and whether Europe and the United States can maintain alliance unity amid diverging national approaches, with particular attention to Greenland’s strategic role between the United States, Denmark, and Greenland itself. It also explores whether diplomatic statecraft can still complement hard security in a more militarized Arctic, and how Arctic states should navigate the presence of Russia and China. Finally, the discussion considers the geoeconomic dimension of the High North, assessing how infrastructure and energy investments can advance strategic objectives while respecting indigenous communities and local governance.
Speakers
Anniken Huitfeldt | Ambassador of Norway to the United States, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Former Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Carla Sands | Chair, Foreign Policy Initiative, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Energy Policy, AFPI, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark (ret.), America First Policy Institution
Annegrethe Rasmussen | Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief and U.S. Correspondent, POV International
Henry Lee | Co-Chair, and Director, Arctic Initiative, Environment and Natural Resources Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School
5:45–7:00 | Security First or Leadership First? Europe’s Strategic Energy Crossroads | TAUBMAN G50
Energy security, industrial competitiveness, and climate leadership have converged into a single mandate: the total transformation of the European industrial engine. The race is no longer just about meeting climate targets; it is about who will own the supply chains, the factories, and the technologies of the next century. As Europe moves to shield its economy from volatility, the question has shifted from “if” we should transition to how fast we can rebuild and what the price of leadership will be.
This panel brings together the World Energy Council, global capital, and critical infrastructure to confront that tension head-on. With Marco Margheri (Chairman of the Italian chapter of the WEC) on Europe’s policy direction, Zineb Bennani (Mirova US) on where investment is—and isn’t—flowing, and Bernard Gustin (Elia) on the physical realities of the energy system, the discussion moves beyond ambition to execution.
Expect a frank debate on whether Europe can deliver short-term resilience without sacrificing long-term competitiveness—and what must change in the next decade if it wants to remain both secure and globally relevant.
Speakers
Zineb Bennani | CEO Mirova US
Bernard Gustin | CEO Elia Group
Marco Margheri | Head of Eni’s U.S. Relations
Joseph Aldy | Teresa and John Heinz Professor of the Practice of Environmental Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
5:45–7:00 | Fireside Chat
Pre-registration required
Speaker
Luc Frieden | Prime Minister of Luxembourg
8:00 | Speakers Reception | INVITATION ONLY
For detailed information, see the corresponding invitation email.
Saturday February 7, 2026
8:00-9:00 | Breakfast | WEXNER COMMONS
Please use Wexner Entrance to enter Harvard Kennedy School.
9:00–10:30 | Flagship Session – Christos Christou | JFK JR. FORUM
Speaker
Christos Christou | Outgoing Director General of Doctors Without Borders
Moderator
Mathias Risse | Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy, Director of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights
9:00–10:30 | Trade, Investment, and Power: Europe’s Economic Strategy in Emerging Markets | STARR AUDITORIUM
As Europe adapts to a more multipolar global economy, its trade strategy is increasingly shaped by engagement with emerging markets across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This panel examines how the EU is recalibrating its external economic relations, from trade agreements and investment partnerships to regulatory influence and geopolitical positioning, while safeguarding competitiveness, sustainability, and strategic autonomy. Bringing together perspectives from policy, business, and trade analysis, the discussion explores what Europe’s evolving trade agenda means for its global role in the years ahead.
Speakers
Liesje Schreinemacher | Deputy Secretary General, Benelux Union, Former Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands
Marion Jansen | Director of Trade and Agriculture Directorate, OECD
Cristián Rodríguez-Chiffelle | Partner & Director; Trade, Investment and Geopolitics, Boston Consulting Group
Elvire Fabry | Director Trade and Economic Security programme, Jacques Delors Institute
9:00–10:30 | Turning Europe into a Research Powerhouse | WEXNER 436
This panel explores how Europe can renew its research leadership as a driver of economic competitiveness and global influence, with particular attention to the bioeconomy, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, and the pharmaceutical sector.
The discussion will address freedom of research in an increasingly contested global environment, focusing on how Europe can safeguard open scientific inquiry while responding to political, regulatory, and security pressures that shape cutting edge research fields. It will then turn to talent mobility and brain circulation, examining how Europe can strengthen pathways that attract, retain, and circulate researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs across borders, especially in fast moving sectors such as AI, quantum science, and biomedical innovation. Finally, the panel will consider the role of private sector research and development in boosting competitiveness, highlighting strategies to scale corporate R&D, encourage responsible risk taking, and better align industrial policy with innovation ecosystems in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and emerging deep tech.
Speakers
Dr. Maria Leptin | President of the European Research Council (ERC)
Jacob Petersen | Senior Vice President, Novo Nordisk Pharmatech
Dr. Eleni Diamanti | Prof., CNRS Research Director, CNRS & Sorbonne University
Dr. Miklós Szócska | Director, Special Advicer, Semmelweis University Health Services Management Training Centre, European Commission
Michael McQuade | Director of the Program on Emerging Technology, Scientific Advancement & Global Policy
10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break | WEXNER COMMONS
11:00–12:15 | Europe’s Role in a Multipolar World Order | JFK JR. FORUM
As the unipolar moment fades and great power competition returns, Europe faces fundamental questions about its global role. Should the continent seek strategic autonomy or does its security and prosperity still depend on deepening transatlantic unity? Amid growing U.S. unilateralism, how can Europe best engage with China, rising middle powers, and the Global South?
This panel will bring together policymakers and scholars to examine Europe’s strategic options in the age of multipolarity. It will explore the future of Western cohesion, implications of ‘the rise of the rest,’ and the prospects for sustaining a rules-based international system in a more plural world.
Speakers
Jovita Neliupšienė | Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to the United States
Anniken Huitfeldt | Ambassador of Norway to the United States, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Former Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Matthew Kaminski | Editorial Chair, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Co Founder of POLITICO Europe
Prof. Dr. Daniela Schwarzer | Member of the Executive Board, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Ranna Mitter | ST Lee Chair in US Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
11:00–12:15 | Mobilizing Capital and Financing European Innovators | STARR AUDITORIUM
Finance has the power to enable innovation, to scale ambition, and to shape Europe’s economic future. This panel brings together investors, policymakers, and market practitioners to examine how access to capital and liquidity conditions influence Europe’s ability to foster and retain innovative companies. Starting from the premise that financing is a central driver of innovation, the discussion will explore how Europe can better mobilize private and public capital, deepen its capital markets by reducing fragmentation, and ensure a continuum from early-stage funding to scale-up and exit. Why are European companies going public in the United States, and is it legitimate? Can, and should, Europe finance innovation without relying on foreign capital? And how can Europe redirect its large pool of savings toward more productive, innovation-driven uses?
Speakers
Dario Scannapieco | CEO and General Manager, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SpA
William Kadouch-Chassaing | Co CEO, EURAZEO
Clara Andreoletti | President and CEO, Eni Next
Karel Lannoo | CEO, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Yvonne Bendinger-Rothschild | Executive Director, European American Chamber of Commerce New York (EACCNY)
11:00–12:15 | Forecasting Europe’s Strategic Future – Nuclear Risk, Baltic Security, and Europe’s Indo-Pacific Ties – Bertelsmann Foundation | WEXNER 330
Pre-registration required
This facilitated RANGE workshop, led by geopolitical experts from the Bertelsmann Foundation, will engage participants in a forward-looking forecasting exercise on three timely and strategically significant issues: nuclear risk, security challenges in the Baltic Sea region, and Europe’s ties with the Indo-Pacific. The session will demonstrate how probabilistic forecasting can enhance policy analysis, publications, and public debate, and participants will learn to analyze the aforementioned policy domains systematically. Participants will be guided through structured discussions and forecasting questions designed to test assumptions, surface new insights, identify emerging trends and communicate their findings effectively.
Speaker
Marshall Reid | Senior Manager, US-EU-Asia Dynamics, Bertelsmann Foundation
12:15–1:30 | MEP Debate | JFK JR. FORUM
Join five MEPs from diverse European political groups for a debate on the future of the European Union.
Speakers
Brando Benifei | Member of the European Parliament (S&D Group), Chair of Delegation for relations with the US
Hilde Vautmans | Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe, Open Vld Belgium)
Damian Boeselager | Member of the European Parliament (Volt)
Adrián Vázquez Lázara | Member of the European Parliament (EPP), Vice-Chair of the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO)
Patryk Jaki | Member of the European Parliament (ECR), Co-Chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Vice President of the Law and Justice Party in Poland
Moderator
James Dennison | Pierre Keller Professor, Harvard Kennedy School
12:15–1:30 | Harmony or Dissonance? Culture as a Transatlantic Bridge | WEXNER 436
Culture has the power to connect, to challenge, and to inspire. This panel aims to bring together voices from across the Atlantic to explore how cultural diplomacy and storytelling can strengthen transatlantic ties and foster mutual understanding in a time of global change. The panel will explore the meaning of the term “cultural diplomacy” and demonstrate the diversity of cultural agents that are working to foster stronger transatlantic bonds today. Cultural exchanges can create linkages across the Atlantic that embrace our diversity while recognizing our similarities and shared sentiments. How can cultural exchanges contribute to strengthening the transatlantic relationship? Are we in an era of transatlantic cultural harmony or dissonance?
Speakers
Tamara Rojo | Artistic Director, San Francisco Ballet
Daria Kolomiec | Cultural activist, creator and producer of “Diary of War”
Angela Rodel | Executive Director, Fulbright Bulgaria, 2023 International Booker Prize winner
Jeneé Osterheldt | Deputy Managing Editor, culture & development, Boston Globe, A Beautiful Resistance
Carla Canales | Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
1:30-2:45 | Lunch break | WEXNER COMMONS
2:45–4:00 | Flagship Session – Sophie Wilmès | JFK JR. FORUM
Speaker
Sophie Wilmès | Vice-President of the European Parliament, Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Moderator
Edoardo Campanella | Founding Director and Chief Editor of the UniCredit Investment Institute
2:45–4:00 | Recommitting to the Alliance: Does Transatlanticism Still Serve U.S. and European Interests in a Fragmented World? | STARR AUDITORIUM
This panel will attempt to find whether a common consensus of values and goals exists today between the U.S.and Europe to maintain the historic alliance in the context of an increasingly insecure and complicated geopolitical situation. We will firstly explore how the US’s recent approach to Greenland has affected the relationship and whether the alliance can continue in spite of the tension. Through the lenses of Russia’s war on Ukraine, democratic backsliding, engagement with China, and energy security — we ask what either side can realistically handle on its own. The discussion will assess how U.S. engagement with European opposition parties (e.g., in Germany, the U.K., and Romania) shapes trust and day-to-day diplomacy among allies. We also examine rising frictions over democratic norms—including free speech and academic freedom—and how these debates reverberate through values-based diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic. A core focus is the economic relationship: through the U.S.–EU tariffs, tensions over industrial policy, digital regulation, green subsidies, and supply-chain security. Finally, we consider how economic fragmentation could undermine strategic cohesion—and why sustained alignment is vital to protect shared prosperity.
Speakers
Brando Benifei | Member of the European Parliament (S&D Group), Chair of Delegation for relations with the US
Ditmir Bushati | Fellow, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University, Former Albanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Carla Sands | Chair, Foreign Policy Initiative, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Energy Policy, AFPI, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark (ret.), America First Policy Institution
Daniel Fried | Former Assistant secretary of State for Europe, Former Ambassador to Poland
Vessela Tcherneva | Deputy Director, European Council of Foreign relations (ECFR)
2:45–4:00 | Can Smarter Regulation or Deeper Integration Drive Europe’s Competitiveness? | WEXNER 436
A year after the Draghi Report called for renewed European competitiveness, the EU stands at a crossroads. Despite strong talent and institutions, complex and fragmented regulation continues to hinder innovation and scale. This panel examines whether Europe’s competitiveness challenge is best tackled through regulatory simplification or deeper integration. It considers the impact of simplifying rules without diluting standards, the benefits of supervisory authority integration and what the EU can learn from the US model. Can Europe strike the right balance between flexibility and cohesion to turn ambition into lasting competitiveness?
Speakers
Damian Boeselager | Member of the European Parliament (Volt)
Victoria de Posson | Secretary General, European Tech Alliance (EUTA)
Cary Coglianese | Edward B. Shils Professor of Law, University of Pennsylvania
Antonios Nestoras | Founding Director, European Policy Innovation Council (EPIC)
Amaryllis Verhoeven | Deputy Director and Head of Unit, DG GROW, European Commission
4:00-4:30 | Coffee Break | WEXNER COMMONS
4:30–5:45 | Flagship Session – Robert Habeck | JFK JR. FORUM
Speaker
Robert Habeck | Former Vice Chancellor of Germany and Former Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
Moderator
Elaine Papoulias | Executive Director, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard University
4:30–5:45 | A Career in European Institutions | WEXNER 330
Pre-registration required
Join for an interactive discussion of career pathways in the EU covering policy-making, diplomacy, and external relations. The speakers will first introduce their backgrounds, interests, and current work, and offer reflections on the challenges and opportunities of their roles and advice for the new generation of global young leaders. This study group offers a valuable opportunity for individuals interested in contributing to the EU or pursuing a career in foreign affairs to engage with experienced and accomplished representatives and discuss questions about potential career paths.
Speaker
Amelie Giesemann | Head of the European Parliament Liaison Office, Washington, D.C.
Helena Malikova | European Commission, DG Competition
Francesco Maria Graziani | Counsellor, Energy and Climate, Delegation of the European Union to the U.S.
Nera Kuljanic | Counselor, European Parliament Liaison Office, Washington D.C.
4:30–5:45 | Democracy in a Post-Truth World | STARR AUDITORIUM
Disinformation, foreign influence, and the challenges facing European democracies. This panel explores the impact of disinformation and democratic backsliding on human rights and the rule of law, and whether the future of our democracies is crumbling. A decreasing trust in institutions and unstable governments, combined with foreign interference in the information environment aiming to destabilize us, places a secure and stable continent at risk. We explore and discuss the balance between free speech and protecting the truth and human rights, and whether we can tackle disinformation without compromising on liberty.
Speakers
Leo Varadkar | Former Prime Minister of Ireland and Senior Fellow at the Carr-Ryan Center (Harvard Kennedy School)
Sophie Wilmès | Vice-President of the European Parliament, Former Prime Minister of Belgium
Jakub Kalenský | Deputy Director of COI Hybrid Influence, Hybrid CoE
Adrián Vázquez Lázara | Member of the European Parliament (EPP), Vice-Chair of the Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO)
Patryk Jaki | Member of the European Parliament (ECR), Co-Chair of the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Vice President of the Law and Justice Party in Poland
Albana Shehaj | Political Scientist, Program Manager, and Seminar Chair, Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, Harvard University
5:55–6:25 | Closing Ceremony | JFK JR. FORUM
The European Conference at Harvard university’s team closes the 12th edition.
