A New Industrial Ambition for Europe: Connectivity, Sovereignty & the Competitiveness Agenda

The day's first session, a panel entitled ‘Connectivity for Competitiveness and Security – Europe’s Strategic Edge’, focused on the themes of connectivity, innovation, and minimising regulatory obstacles. The panel featured Henna Virkkunen (Executive Vice-President – Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission), Borje Ekholm (CEO & President, Ericsson), Pekka Lundmark (CEO & President, Nokia), and Christian Klein (CEO, SAP). During the discussion on Europe's growing connectivity gap with its global counterparts, the CEOs emphasised the urgent need for a harmonised single digital market. They also highlighted the importance of investing in connectivity infrastructure, particularly in 5G and 6G technologies.

The second session of the day was a keynote interview, moderated by Financial Times’ Javier Espinoza and featuring Dariusz Standerski, Secretary of State for the Polish Ministry of Digital Affairs, and Antonio López-Istúriz White, Member of the European Parliament. Standerski began by discussing the unique AI-related threats facing Poland as the most targeted EU member in cyberspace. He advocated for the harmonisation of regulations across EU states through the implementation of the AI Act and emphasised the importance of establishing a coordinated network of AI factories to prevent fragmentation. López-Istúriz White echoed the earlier panel’s points in calling for Europe to reduce its dependence on the external connectivity strengths of global powers like the U.S. and China.