Agenda 2026

Save as PDF

Travel Information for All Delegations

Please review your departure details carefully and connect with your designated team captain prior to boarding. Your team captain will coordinate the group and assist you throughout the journey.Reserved seats are available on the following trains:

• The London delegation will depart at 11:04 a.m. from St. Pancras Station on Eurostar service ES9126. Your team captain is Professor Art Langer. He will meet the group at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Eurostar security gates. Please allow sufficient time to pass through security and immigration before boarding. Professor Langer has travelled through the Channel Tunnel more than one hundred times and will guide you smoothly through the process.
• The Frankfurt delegation will depart at 10:35 a.m. from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) on ICE 16. Your team captain is our CIOmove editor, Stanislaw Rahm. He will wait for you at the reserved seats in carriage 28.
• The Cologne delegation will depart at 11:43 a.m. from the main station (Hauptbahnhof) on ICE 16, which continues from Frankfurt. Stanislaw Rahm is also your team captain on ICE 16. He will wait for you at the reserved seats in carriage 29.
• The Paris delegation will depart at 11:55 a.m. from Gare du Nord on Eurostar service ER9435. Your team captain is Ursula Soritsch-Renier, the CDIO of Saint-Gobain. She and her husband, James, will join you on board and coordinate the group during the journey.
  
• Alternatively, you may choose to fly to Brussels instead. This option would certainly please two of our fellow participants: Jochen Goettelmann, CIO of Lufthansa, and Henning Krueger, CIDO of British Airways. If you decide to arrive by air, either Henning or Jochen has kindly offered to buy you a drink at the bar later in the evening.

Thursday, June 25, 2026 – Welcome Day in Brussels

• Until 2:00 p.m. – Individual check-in at Hotel Amigo (Rue de l’Amigo, 1000 Brussels)
• 3:00 p.m. – Guided tour of the European Parliament 
  A behind-the-scenes look at how Europe’s legislative heart operates. 
• 4:30 p.m. – Introduction: “Decision-Making at the EU” by Stefan Borst, former Brussels correspondent and editor at Focus Magazine

---

---

• 6:00 p.m. – Panel discussion:”The Strategic Role of Europe in IT, Security & AI” with Stefan Borst and Horst Ellermann
• 8:00 p.m. – Welcome reception 
  Networking evening in the Brasserie Surréaliste, Place Du Nouveau Marché Aux Grains, 23, 1000 Brussels

Friday, June 26, 2026 – From Brussels to Paris

• 10:00 a.m. – CEPS Think Tank: “The Eurostack Initiative – What’s in It for CIOs?” 
• 10:30 a.m. – World Café discussion about:
  • “Buy European” – Industrial Policy or Market Distortion?
    • 1. European preference must be measurable, not ideological.
    • 2. Reference frameworks beat new certifications.
  • Security, Certification & Trust – Can EUCS Create a Market?
    • 1. Immunity from extraterritorial law is a core, unresolved concern.
    • 2. Certification must reduce risk, not just signal alignment.
    • 3. Cyber resilience depends on the weakest links.
  • Data Protection, Data Act & Data Spaces – From Law to Usability
    • 1. Sector-led data spaces are essential – but only if governance is clear.
    • 2. Interoperability matters more than central control.
    • 3. Regulatory overlap is becoming a cost factor.
  • Architecture, Federation & Scale – How can EuroStack Actually Work?
    • 1. Mapping dependencies before declaring sovereignty.
    • 2. Harmonisation beats national solutions.
    • 3. Financing federation requires long-term instruments.
• 12:43 p.m. – Departure of Eurostar from Brussels Midi
• 2:05 p.m. – Arrival of Eurostar in Paris, Gare du Nord
• Until 3:00 p.m. – Arrival and check-in at the hotel Melía Paris, 3 Boulevard de Neuilly, 92400 Courbevoie, La Défense France
• 3:00 p.m. – Arrival at the Headquarters of Saint-Gobain
  Tour de Saint-Gobain, 12 Place de l’Iris, 92400 Courbevoie

---

---

• 4:00 p.m. – CIO Session 1: Innovation 
  Peer-moderated discussions across the innovation track 
• 5:00 p.m. – Deep dive discussion 
• 7:30 p.m. – Reunion with companions 
  Rooftop reception at the Saint-Gobain tower 
  —————————————————————————————————————-
• Companion program:
  • Morning: City tour with chocolate factory and café in Brussels
  • Afternoon: Seine boat trip

Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Paris Academic Day

• 10:00 a.m. – Bus departure 
  10:45 a.m. – Arrival at Columbia University, Paris Campus (Montparnasse) 
• 11:00 a.m. – Welcome Address by Professor Art Langer, Columbia University
• 11:15 a.m. – Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at Crédit Agricole” by Emmanuel Sardet, Group Chief Technology Officer, Crédit Agricole
• 12:00 p.m. – Keynote: “Digital Sovereignty at EDF” by Martine Gouriet, Director of Digital Transformation at EDF and IT Manager of the Year 2025 in France (awarded by Le Monde Informatique)
• 12:45 p.m. – Lunch at Columbia Campus 
• 1:30 p.m. – CIO Session 2: Integration 
• 2:30 p.m. – Deep-Dive Discussion
• 4:00 p.m. – Coffee break 
• 4:30 p.m. – CIO Session 3: Intelligence 
• 6:00 p.m. – Reunion with companions 
  Garden Reception (Flying Buffet)
• 8:00 p.m. – Return to Meliá Paris La Défense
  Enjoy a scenic evening transfer through Paris – with stopovers at the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs-Élysées for unforgettable views. 
  —————————————————————————————————————-
• Companion program:
  • Morning: Perfume workshop and visit of the Fragonard museum
  • Afternoon: Shopping around Galeries Lafayette

Sunday, June 28, 2026 – Closing Day

• 10:00 a.m. – Breakfast & get-together 
• 11:00 a.m. – Walk along the Champs-Élysées
• 11:30 a.m. – Sightseeing tour & group photo 
• 1:00 p.m. – Lunch before departure to the airport