Europe at a crossroads: purpose, power and resolve – 2026 State of Europe

Our annual #StateOfEU high-level roundtable took place on Thursday, bringing together policymakers from politics, business and civil society to seek responses to challenges ranging from the AI revolution and multiple threats to Europe’s security, to the urgent need for clean energy transition.

The meeting heard from Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, who emphasised the importance of bolstering energy resilience. She underscored the significant role that the Commission’s proposed Circular Economy Act can play.

Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta was backed by senior business leaders when he pressed for the EU to move quickly to complete its single market, ending the fragmentation that holds back innovation and growth, preventing Europe from competing effectively with the United States, China and other players.

Speakers also called for mechanisms to free up Europe’s vast pool of savings to fund investments in tech and other pro-growth sectors.

Speaking by video link, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Vsevolod Chentsov urged tighter sanctions to prevent Russia from securing funding and spare parts for missiles and drones used in its campaign against civilian targets in Kyiv and other cities.

In a panel debate on the growth of artificial intelligence (AI), speakers pointed to the danger of Europe’s increasing dependence on foreign tech players as it falls further behind in the race to develop AI and other cutting-edge technologies. To counter that risk, Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank, suggested that European nations unite behind an AI initiative inspired by the successful Airbus project.

Another session examined prospects for adapting the EU’s institutional architecture, with speakers including Yolanda Diaz Pérez, Vice President of the Government of Spain and Minister of Labour and Social Economy, who spoke from Madrid appealing for action to curb the excessive power of tech companies over democratic institutions and citizens’ lives.

A panel on EU enlargement featured contributions by ministers from Albania, Moldova, North Macedonia and Romania. Europe’s place in the wider world was the theme of a series of informal briefings with speakers from Brazil, India, Canada and Palestine.