Program ‘26

The future belongs not to those who wait for change, but to those who finance it. Anders Indset outlines a new energy society in which electricity becomes the decisive factor for prosperity, competitiveness, and resilience.

Recent years have put the resilience of infrastructure financing and investment to the test. The energy crisis, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainties have exposed weaknesses, but have also shown which models are viable. At the same time, Europe’s need for energy, digital, and strategic infrastructure is growing at a rate rarely seen before.

Europe is debating the phase-out of internal combustion engines, battery technologies and charging infrastructure. But the decisive question is: will the underlying infrastructure be sufficient? This keynote explores why the success of the energy transition will not be determined by individual technologies alone, but by Europe’s ability to integrate energy, mobility and digitalisation into a seamless and resilient system.

Today, the energy transition is no longer constrained by a lack of capital for wind and solar projects, but by the system’s ability to absorb, store and distribute the energy they generate. As a result, electricity grids have become the critical bottleneck of the transition. At the same time, financing is evolving from funding individual generation assets to supporting integrated models that connect generation, storage and consumption. The future no longer belongs to standalone assets, but to efficient and resilient energy systems.

Central and Eastern Europe is one of Europe’s most dynamic economic regions. But can it continue its remarkable success story? What role will energy, infrastructure, capital markets and European integration play in driving the next phase of growth? And has CEE already become a more attractive investment destination than many of Western Europe’s established markets?

Central and Eastern Europe is one of Europe’s most dynamic growth regions. Digitalization, and the transformation of energy systems are creating an enormous need for investment – and are increasingly bringing the region into the spotlight for international infrastructure investors seeking growth and long-term returns.

In light of staff shortages and rising expectations, ensuring public services has become a shared responsibility of municipalities and companies. The discussion will explore how AI, automation, and new models of cooperation can help secure public services, quality of life, and regional appeal in the long term.

The AI boom is turning data centers into a new form of critical infrastructure. The central question is: Will this result in stable, long-term infrastructure assets, or the next investment bubble? One thing is clear: Digital infrastructure is becoming increasingly indispensable for the economy, government, and local communities.

The municipality is the building block of democracy, and trust in mayors endures even in times of crisis. But how strong is this local protective barrier still? And above all, what significance does it hold in a Europe undergoing political, financial, military, and diplomatic change – a Europe whose way of life, as exemplified by Ukraine, is under external and sustained attack from destabilizing forces, as well as internal challenges? From functioning critical infrastructure to internal social peace – what will municipalities need to accomplish to ensure this in the future?

Keynotes:

The Foundation of Stability: The Role of Municipalities in Europe’s Geopolitical Transformation

Subsidiarity as a Shield: Why Europe’s Strength Begins at the Local Level

Talk:

What are the foundations of Europe’s stability – politically, financially, militarily, and diplomatically? And what role do municipalities play?

Investors around the world are seeking long-term investment opportunities. Yet many infrastructure projects fail to materialise not because of a lack of capital, but because of risk, uncertainty and insufficient bankability. In her keynote, Wiebke Schloemer explores how development banks and public institutions can help mobilise private capital at scale by reducing risks, strengthening investor confidence and creating the conditions needed for sustainable infrastructure investment.

Rising interest rates, geopolitical shifts, and the enormous demand for infrastructure are fundamentally changing how projects are financed. This discussion will explore whether innovative financing models can keep pace with these new requirements – and how infrastructure is repositioning itself as a strategic asset class in Europe.

Green transition, energy transition, housing transition, digital transition, security transition… or just “thick walls”? Europe has made its decision, and the local level is supposed to “get it done.” But will sufficient funds be available for this in the future? And in an aging society that places the highest demands on the public sector, have we perhaps “counted our chickens before they’re hatched” anyway? Do we perhaps need a direct EU funding pool for municipalities to bypass the bureaucracy of nation-states? What does the reality look like here?

Keynotes:

The Budget for a New Era: Rethinking Europe’s Public Finances

A New Direction for EU Funding: The Future of Subsidies and Their Impact on Municipalities and Regions

Talk:

Europe between the need for reform, fiscal pressure and the investment gap