Europe as a Task

As the second edition of Europe as a Task officially comes to an end, we would like to sincerely thank everyone who took part in this year’s conference. 🇪🇺 ▶️ A huge thank you to all our speakers for sharing their expertise, perspectives and ideas, and for helping create inspiring discussions on the future of Europe. We are equally grateful to our partners and supporters whose cooperation made this event possible. And of course, thank you to all participants for joining us in Prague and contributing to the incredible atmosphere throughout the conference. The second year of #TaskEurope brought together students, experts, policymakers and everyone passionate about European affairs — and we are grateful to have shared these conversations with you. You can already find the official summary of the event on our website, with more photos and highlights 📸 We look forward to seeing you again next year! — The #TaskEurope Team 🫶🏻

Prezident Stubb a prezident Pavel se dnes zúčastnili konference @TaskEurope v Praze. Myšlenka Evropy vychází ze čtyř základních principů: míru, prosperity, bezpečnosti a stability. Jediným řešením je spolupráce. Sjednocená Evropa je silná.

Arthur De Liedekerke called for faster and more flexible European defence cooperation, Radka Konderlová stressed the need to better involve SMEs in EU defence programmes, Andra Migiu highlighted the European Investment Bank’s growing role in financing defence, and Milosz Momot focused on scaling up Europe’s defence industry through stronger industrial cooperation.

The second fishbowl turned to Europe’s digital sovereignty. Jean Carberry spoke about the need to remain open to global innovation while carefully managing Europe’s dependencies, Dita Charanzová focused on the need for pragmatic and harmonised digital rules, and Vladimíra Chlandová highlighted Europe’s structural dependence on external technologies and supply chains. Lukáš Kačena called for stronger investment in science and talent, Michael Toutonghi stressing that Europe cannot become digitally sovereign without remaining competitive in AI, and Věra Jourová warning that Europe’s current dependence on American technologies is becoming an increasingly serious strategic risk.

The first fishbowl of today focused on how Europe can help start-ups and digital SMEs scale within the EU. Heleen Bakker stressed the need to strengthen the single market and unlock more funding, while Alexandr Hobza highlighted Europe’s challenge in turning innovation into commercial success. David Müller reflected on Europe’s changing global environment and the need to create better scale-up conditions. Christophe de Nijs called for urgency in reducing fragmentation.

The panel Thin Ice, Thick Tensions: Europe and Polar Power Politics, featuring Chiara Rinaldi and Izabela Kantor from @politico Research and Analysis Division, highlighted the Arctic’s growing strategic importance for Europe.

We continued with “European Chat: Bringing Geoeconomics into the Game,” led by Michal Pěchouček, Rector of the Czech Technical University in Prague, and moderated by Markéta Boubínová from Deník N.

Milena Hrdinková, Advisor to the Prime Minister on EU Affairs, Czech Republic, delivered the opening remarks.

The second day of Europe as a Task 2026 was opened by Mats Braun, Director of the @IIR_Prague , Viktor Daněk, Executive Deputy Director of the @EUROPEUMPrague , and Vít Dostál, Executive Director of the @AMO_cz , who welcomed participants and opened a day focused on European competitiveness, digital sovereignty and the strategic challenges shaping Europe’s future.

We are looking forward to welcoming you today for the second day of the #TaskEurope2026 conference at the Museum of Decorative Arts! Please enter through this entrance located on 17. listopadu Street.

The first day of the conference concluded with an expert discussion on Europe’s geopolitical reset and economic security. David Müller of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade focused on cutting bureaucracy and improving conditions for business, while Maria Demertzis of the European University Institute warned that Europe’s main challenge is its investment gap and loss of capital and talent. From the business side, Violeta Luca of Vodafone highlighted market fragmentation and underinvestment in digital infrastructure, while Radek Špicar of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic argued that Europe’s biggest obstacle remains its own reluctance to invest.

In the high-level discussion, President Petr Pavel and President Alexander Stubb moved to a more practical exchange on Europe’s immediate security outlook and political readiness. Both leaders agreed that Europe must respond to growing security uncertainty with greater responsibility and stronger coordination. Pavel stressed the need to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities through closer EU–NATO cooperation and greater military preparedness, while Stubb focused more on how Europe should adapt to shifts in US foreign policy with realism, pragmatism, and a focus on practical cooperation. #TaskEurope2026

The next keynote was delivered by Finnish President Alexander Stubb @alexstubb, reflecting on Europe as both an idea and a political project built on peace, prosperity, security, and stability. He focused on Europe’s role in a changing world order and underlined the need for Europe to find common solutions to common problems and take greater responsibility for its security. "I think we should define Europe as something which is more than an international organisation, sort of more than a UN, but less than a state.”

“I would be glad if the Czech Republic could significantly deepen its cooperation with Finland.” @prezidentpavel at the #TaskEurope2026 conference.

Czech President Petr Pavel @prezidentpavel opened his remarks at the Europe as a Task 2026 conference by focusing on Europe’s founding purpose: preserving peace, stability, and security on the continent. He argued that in today’s geopolitical climate, Europe must become stronger, more united, and more capable of taking responsibility for its own defence. He also spoke about the need to strengthen Europe’s economic and technological base and underlined the importance of multilateral cooperation, particularly for smaller states such as Czechia and Finland, in building a more credible and strategically capable Europe. “Europe will not be strong on its own. It will be only as strong as we make it together.” #TaskEurope2026

Europe as a Task is ready and the conference is about to begin. Prague Castle is filling up and we are looking forward to an afternoon of insightful discussion and strong debate. #TaskEurope2026

The first day of the #TaskEurope 2026 conference at Prague Castle will bring an expert discussion on Europe’s geopolitical reset and the growing role of economic security. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise, economic security is quickly moving to the centre of Europe’s strategic debate. This panel will look at how Europe should respond to a changing global landscape, where resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy are becoming harder to separate. 🎙️ Speakers include Karel Havlíček (Minister of Industry and Trade, Czechia), Maria Demertzis (European University Institute), Violeta Luca (Vodafone), and Radek Špicar (Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic). 🎤 Moderated by Aneta Zachová (Update EU).

We are pleased to introduce the first panel of the second day of the #TaskEurope 2026 conference. How can Europe create conditions that allow its innovative companies not only to emerge, but also scale up and remain in the European market? This question will be at the centre of the fishbowl discussion on building a realistic European scale-up strategy for digital SMEs. While Europe continues to generate strong start-up activity and talent, scaling remains a persistent challenge. Companies are still required to navigate fragmented legal systems, face increasing compliance costs as they grow, and often look beyond the EU for access to capital and larger markets. The discussion will focus on key areas where progress has long been limited, including the potential of regulatory simplification, the role of the Savings and Investment Union in strengthening capital markets, and the practical implications of the proposed 28th regulatory regime. 🎙️ Speakers include Heleen Bakker (Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Netherlands), Alexandr Hobza (European Commission), David Müller (Ministry of Industry and Trade, Czechia), Christophe de Nijs (Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Belgium), and Monika Vrbková (JIC). 🎤 Moderated by Filip Křenek (EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy). More details on the programme and speakers will follow soon.