Name: Annual EU Budget Conference 2026 – Boost Europe: Leveraging the EU Budget for strategic priorities
Start: 2026-07-02T07:30:00
End: 2026-07-02T19:00:00
Location: De Gasperi room (Charlemagne building)

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Register now for the Annual EU Budget Conference on 2 July 2026! Stay tuned to our newsletter to receive the latest information on the conference.

The European Union budget is essential for delivering on Union priorities. It reinforces the Union policy action and serves as a powerful catalyst for private investment.

The conference will examine how to better leverage the EU budget to increase policy impact and mobilise additional financial resources. European Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, Piotr Serafin, will bring together many esteemed speakers, including Heads of State, Ministers, Members of the European Parliament, regional representatives, CEOs, and stakeholders from the capital markets and real economy.

Together, they will lead an open and insightful debate on:

How can the EU budget strengthen Europe’s role as a global leader for prosperity?
How should the EU budget support Europe’s long-term strategic planning whilst facing evolving crises?
Which investments can drive Europe’s competitiveness and growth?
How can the EU budget build powerful, mutually beneficial partnerships worldwide?
How can the EU budget foster growth and resilience in Europe in support of the monetary union?
What tools can the EU budget offer for the development of the savings and investments union?

Please note that the conference will be held in English, with interpretation.

Read more about our last Policy brief : The leverage effect of the EU Budget

Registration period ended on Wednesday 17 June 2026, 18:00 (CEST)

EU budget
Thursday 2 July 2026, 07:30 - 19:00 (CEST)
Brussels, Belgium
Live streaming available

Programme

2 Jul 2026, 07:30 - 09:00 (CEST)
Security checks, registration and welcome coffee
09:00 - 09:10 (CEST)
Welcome remarks
Piotr Serafin, EU Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, European Commission
09:10 - 09:25 (CEST)
Keynote speech: “Growing Together: How the EU Budget Supports the Euro”
Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Eurogroup President; Greek Minister of Economy and Finance
09:25 - 09:45 (CEST)
Keynote speech: “The EU Budget as a Global Force for Peace and Prosperity”
Alexander De Croo, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme; Under-Secretary-General, United Nations
09:45 - 11:00 (CEST)
Panel discussion (1): “Building powerful international partnerships through the EU Budget”
Maida Gorčević, Minister of European Affairs, Government of Montenegro
William Roos, Managing Director Corporate Strategy, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Gallina Andronova Vincelette, Vice-President for Operations Policy and Country Services, World Bank
Nathalie Tocci, Professor, John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
11:00 - 11:30 (CEST)
Coffee break
11:30 - 11:45 (CEST)
Fireside chat “3 Questions to ...”
Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, European Commission
11:45 - 12:15 (CEST)
In conversation with ... “Real economy: Should the EU Budget have more independent sources of financing?”
Danuše Nerudová, Member, European Parliament
Frank Engels, Member of the Executive Board, Union Investment
12:15 - 12:30 (CEST)
TED-style talk: “From shock to strategy: the EU at the centre of change”
Marc De Vos, co-CEO, Itinera Institute; Professor of labour and employment law, Ghent University
12:30 - 14:00 (CEST)
Lunch break
14:00 - 14:20 (CEST)
Fireside chat “3 Questions to ...”
Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank Group (EIB, EIF)
14:20 - 14:35 (CEST)
Keynote speech: ”Competitiveness as Europe's Growth Engine”
Atanas Pekanov, Deputy Prime Minister, Government of Bulgaria
14:35 - 15:50 (CEST)
Panel discussion (2): “Unlocking Europe’s competitive edge”
Marta Postuła,First Vice President of the Management Board, BGK
Miguel Forteza Garau, CFO, Indra Group
Hermann Hauser, co-founder, Amadeus Capital Partners Limited
Vasileios Tsianos, Senior Vice President, Neo Performance Materials
15:50 - 16:30 (CEST)
Coffee break
16:30 - 17:45 (CEST)
Panel discussion (3): “Building Europe’s Savings and Investments Union: the role of the EU Budget”
Lourdes Acedo Montoya, Chief Economist for Budget, European Commission
Oya Celasun, Deputy Director, European Department, International Monetary Fund
Johannes Lindner, Head of the Division for EU Institutions & Fora, European Central Bank (ECB)
Guntram B. Wolff, Senior Fellow, Bruegel; Professor of economics, Université libre de Bruxelles
17:45 - 18:00 (CEST)
Closing remarks
Siegfried Ruhl, Hors-Classe Adviser for Budget, European Commission
18:00 - 19:00 (CEST)
Networking drink