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We live in a society that is data-rich but often question-poor. In this workshop, a select group of participants will be trained on the emerging question science. The workshop, run by ‘questions guru’ Stefaan Verhulst, is divided in three parts and focuses in particular on one challenge: achieving progress in women’s health innovation.
In session 3, participants will compare and merge the perspectives from their groups. They will evaluate and prioritise the sourced questions based on their potential impact on women’s health innovation. Activities will include the presentation and cross-evaluation of questions and a prioritisation exercise related to the feasibility, likely impact and innovation potential of selected questions. We will conclude with a discussion on the key insights, noting where bilingual and data science perspectives contributed to question refinement. Finally, we will identify the next steps and recommendations for further work on women’s health innovation.
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
Keynote 1
2024 was referred to as the ‘year of elections’. In the end it was much more than this, with conflicts spreading in many regions of the world, notably very close to the EU. This resulted in a radically changed geopolitical landscape and – especially after the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States – a new set of challenges for the European Union. Does the EU need to change course in its international alliances? How will it chart its own path if support from the US wanes, both in bilateral relations and in multilateral institutions? What will this mean for Europe’s goal to achieve competitiveness as well as economic security and strategic autonomy?
Keynote 2
The impacts of economic and industrial policies, including those aimed at the twin (green and digital) transition, have been felt unevenly across regions, triggering a polarisation of public opinion and the rise of populist and anti-system movements. In the EU, recently adopted policies have created a whole new geography of discontent, which have played an important role in the rise of often anti-EU far-right movements. We discuss how the EU can tackle this situation in the coming years, while at the same time pursuing competitiveness in technologies that increasingly require concentrating excellence in a few dedicated ‘hubs’.
Recent developments in generative AI have helped to democratise expertise, making knowledge more accessible to a wide range of non-expert workers. Meanwhile, however, many high- and middle skilled occupations continue to experience labour shortages. This lab session will explore how such advancements in AI could be leveraged to redesign jobs and organisations, addressing skill shortages and providing new career paths. (For further background, listen to this CEPS Tech podcast episode)
Just about everybody agrees that more innovation is needed to bolster EU competitiveness. Many analyses of the root problem unfavourably compare the EU to the US in terms of public and private R&D spending, sectoral and technological allocation and investment returns. Whilst many policy proposals suggest potential solutions, they often overlook the consequences for international trade.
This Lab session will discuss how announced EU innovation policy conflicts with free international trade. Our expert panel will also debate the risk of trade policy retaliation.
How can we ensure human well-being within planetary boundaries? Mainstreaming the guiding principle of sufficiency in EU policy would offer a fundamental rethinking of how we define prosperity. Rooted in the idea of ‘enough’ consumption, sufficiency-led policy works towards a world where overconsumption no longer depletes the Earth’s resources, while basic needs are universally fulfilled. However, implementing such a vision poses significant challenges to our current economic systems and measures of success.
This Lab will explore the potential of sufficiency as a guiding principle for EU policymaking. With resource depletion, biodiversity loss and climate impacts reaching critical levels, it is clear that decoupling, efficiency and renewable energy alone are not enough. Policies that address the absolute reduction of consumption, alongside equitable resource distribution, are urgently needed. At the same time, the use of sufficiency as a guiding principle provides an opportunity for a more just and sustainable society. What steps can policymakers take to turn these ideas into practice?
More information coming soon!
Set to start on 1 January 2028, as part of the new EU budget cycle, the Tenth Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) is already at the centre of a hectic debate. Reports by Letta, Draghi and the Heitor Group advocated at least doubling the budget available for Horizon Europe, to reach 200 to 220 billion EUR in the seven years from 2028 to 2034.
CEPS has launched an ambitious research programme on this subject, attracting funding from the Wellcome trust, Imperial College, and the Gates Foundation. In this Lab session, we present our vision for an ambitious FP10, with several proposed reforms in terms of structure, governance, budget, instruments, impacts and international collaboration.
‘Equality’ is far from a symbolic term in the EU. It is enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and encompasses equality before the law, non-discrimination, respect for diversity and gender equality. In 2019, Ursula von der Leyen introduced ‘A Union of Equality’ as a top priority, appointing the first Commissioner dedicated to equality and launching specific strategies on gender equality, anti-racism, LGBTIQ+ rights, Roma inclusion and disability rights. She reaffirmed her commitment to a Union of Equality in the 2024 political guidelines, yet her new Commission does not include a Commissioner exclusively responsible for equality. This is concerning, especially given that key components of the equality action plan are up for renewal in 2025.
This Lab session will assess both the successes and shortcomings of the EU’s equality framework to date and cultivate a discussion on what we need to achieve over the coming months and years to ensure the ‘Union of Equality’ becomes a firm reality rather than a lofty ambition.
The Draghi report underscored the need for an additional 800 billion EUR in annual investments from 2025 to 2030 in order to maintain the EU’s global competitiveness. Due to the already constrained fiscal space of the Member States, it is clear that the majority of additional investment will need to come from the private sector.
The EU’s financial sector and capital markets are characterised by several key features: a large banking system in terms of assets, though lagging in market capitalisation; a sharp decline in public listings within the EU; a shrinking role in both equity and fixed income markets globally; limited venture capital availability and smaller, costlier investment funds, increasingly weighted towards US assets; a strong preference among European households for cash and deposits over investments; and a complex regulatory framework that creates compliance burdens and limits market dynamism.
In this context, revitalising the EU’s financial sector and capital markets takes on heightened importance. In order to gather proposals for the present EU institutional cycle, this lab session will gather high-level representatives from banking, investment, insurance, pension fund and non-financial sectors. If the EU wants to be competitive, its financial sector and capital markets must also be able to compete on the global stage.
More information coming soon!
We live in a society that is data-rich but often question-poor. In this workshop, a select group of participants will be trained on the emerging question science. The workshop, run by ‘questions guru’ Stefaan Verhulst, is divided into three parts and focuses on one particular challenge: achieving progress in women’s health innovation.
The goal of session 1 is to introduce a new science and taxonomy of questions specifically tailored to women’s health innovation, emphasising the strategic value that participatory questioning brings to health research, policy and data analysis. We will provide participants with an introduction to topic mapping and to the taxonomy of relevant questions through the lens of women’s health, covering descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive questions. Participants will develop the topic mapping on women’s health, working in small groups. They will gain structured insight into issues related to women’s health innovation, preparing them to explore further in sessions 2 and 3.
The European Union needs to finalise its regulatory framework for AI. With the AI Act now in place, the absence of an updated liability regime is increasingly obvious. It’s worth considering whether now is the right time to adapt EU liability rules to the AI age.
A recent supplementary impact assessment has amplified concerns about the AI Act’s scope and its approach to liability. Additionally, there are objections to the currently proposed liability rules within the European Parliament, with significant worries about regulatory fragmentation between the AI Liability Directive (AILD), the Product Liability Directive and the AI Act.
Nonetheless, effective liability rules are crucial for promoting the adoption of AI and fostering trust in the technology. An important task will be to address dependencies within the value chain and to try to distribute liability risks in a way that lessens the burden on smaller market players. Achieving this requires targeted but flexible solutions with minimal complexity to enable more effective implementation.
This Lab session panel will bring together decision-makers, academics, and practitioners to discuss the AILD proposal in its current state and explore how it might be refined to create a cohesive, adaptable and precise liability framework for the AI age.
As the EU faces growing demands for economic security, green and digital transitions and resilience to global shocks, the future of its budget is under intense scrutiny. In this Lab session, we will address the following questions:
Despite positive signs on the ground, the potential of a circular single market is far from being fulfilled in the EU. This Lab session will bring together a panel to address the following questions with a view to closing the loop on the circular single market:
Europe’s role as a global space power is uncertain. The EU lags behind the US and emerging players like China and India in key areas of this rapidly developing domain. Space is becoming a critical pillar of geopolitical strategy and economic growth, with the global value of space-based services projected to exceed seven trillion USD by 2040, fuelled by new space applications and a deep integration of space-based services into the terrestrial economy.
Europe used to boast a dominant position in the space industry. However, lacking investments, political fragmentation and the absence of a clear vision are increasingly making the EU an obsolete player. These factors are decreasing Europe’s autonomy in space, which is essential to economic security and competitiveness, as well as the realisation of the targets set in the EU digital agenda.
This Lab session will bring together policymakers, experts, and representatives of the space industry to discuss the steps needed to reinvigorate Europe’s role as a space power. Moreover, CEPS will present its new Task Force on Space Policy that will discuss how Europe can harness its strength in technology and research, overcome structural barriers and secure strategic autonomy.
Health is inherently political. International relations and foreign policy significantly shape the political processes that influence health outcomes, giving rise to the concept of ‘health diplomacy’. Recent examples illustrate its importance: during the COVID-19 pandemic, governments navigated complex political dynamics to secure vaccines for their populations; and in ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, healthcare services have been targeted, exacerbating humanitarian crises. In a world grappling with political polarisation and climate change, health diplomacy is more critical than ever in fostering international collaboration to address global health threats.
This Lab session will explore key milestones in health diplomacy, examining both successes and failures. It also anticipates future developments that could shape the strategy for health diplomacy. By bringing together renowned experts and experienced health diplomats, the session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the field, enriched by both theoretical insights and empirical knowledge.
The European Union is built on the principles of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. Repeated instances of corruption, serious misconduct and unethical behaviour put the meaning of these principles into question. Additional concerns include a lack of transparency, accountability and integrity, which are resulting in disillusionment amongst citizens and the erosion of public trust in EU institutions.
The current fragmented system, meant to ensure ethical oversight, is not working. Over the past mandate, the failure to enforce strong boundaries for the conduct of institutional members has led to scandals and severe cases of abuse of power.
This Lab session approaches the topic of ethics from the rule of law perspective, emphasising how holding European leaders to account is essential to ensure democratic resilience. It aims to present and debate ideas on how to streamline and strengthen the framework for ethical oversight to deliver the highest standards of integrity and accountability within the EU institutions.
A huge volume of new EU law relevant to digital policy has been enacted over the past few years. The interactions between and among these measures, and also with existing EU legislation, are difficult to foresee in full. The need for an over-arching view is becoming increasingly evident as links are emerging between thematic areas that have historically been largely distinct. There is also a substantial risk of inconsistency and fragmentation across Member States. The risk of a lack of overall coherence is thus substantial.
In this Lab session, we will reflect on ways in which to enhance coordination across the many different thematic areas that EU digital law and regulation now address. Which topics require better coordination? Can lessons be learned from coordination mechanisms in the UK and the Netherlands, and from the experimental Digital Clearinghouse 1.0 that the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) put in place a few years ago?
Banks, for the most part, are still underestimating climate risks that could lead to the devaluation of assets in their portfolios, potentially putting their solvency at risk. The imperative transition to net zero could have unintended consequences that lead to a financial crisis, mainly from stranded assets in sectors that are no longer investable.
Policymakers are faced with having to steer two of the largest and most important sectors of the economy – energy and finance – down a sustainable path to net zero. This will involve many difficult trade-offs and political choices.
In order to achieve the twin objectives of staving off a climate-mediated financial crisis and reaching net zero targets, should regulators consider pre-emptively setting up a climate bad bank? In this Lab session, we will explore the potential of this ‘green swan’ idea both to immunise the financial system from non-performing assets, as well as to wind down fossil fuel assets on an accelerated timeline, thereby reducing their warming potential. As part of this discussion, we will consider the following questions:
We live in a society that is data-rich but often question-poor. In this workshop, a select group of participants will be trained on the emerging question science. The workshop, run by ‘questions guru’ Stefaan Verhulst, is divided in three parts and focuses in particular on one challenge: achieving progress in women’s health innovation.
The goal of session 2 is to use the expertise of both data scientists and bilinguals (domain scientists with data science knowledge) to source diverse, targeted questions in women’s health innovation. We will focus particularly on areas such as reproductive health, mental health and equitable access to resources. Group activities will include guided brainstorming, question refinement and presentation of outcomes in the form of a set of questions specifically tailored to advancing women’s health innovation.
More information coming soon!
Europe’s industrial policy is at a crossroads. The Draghi report suggested ambitious actions to restore competitiveness while achieving decarbonisation, social cohesion and economic security. On the one hand, this view rests on the rather heroic assumption that Europe will have the necessary resources, estimated at 800 billion EUR a year for the next five years. On the other hand, it is not clear how the future Clean Industrial Plan will bring solutions to emerging crises in Europe’s industrial ecosystems, including the one currently affecting the automotive sector. What policy mix is most likely to succeed? What measures would make it easier to invest in the EU’s future industrial development? And what policy goals are likely to be sacrificed along the way?
Europe stands at a crossroads in an era of rapid technological transformation and geopolitical uncertainty. As digital infrastructure becomes a cornerstone of economic and strategic power, Europe’s reliance on external providers exposes vulnerabilities that threaten its autonomy, innovation and security.
EuroStack offers a bold vision to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty. By integrating required layers of technology, regulations, and investments into a unified framework, EuroStack addresses critical gaps in areas such as semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence. The layered approach of this conceptual model ensures resilience and adaptability across sectors, enabling Europe to compete globally while safeguarding its democratic values.
This Lab session will feature policymakers and academics to discuss how to build a European digital ecosystem and how to combine immediate actions with long-term strategies to secure Europe’s technological sovereignty and global competitiveness.
The EU does even better than the US at creating high-tech start-ups; however, many European firms whither on the vine due to a lack of finance. EU firms lack access to the kind of risk capital that is needed to enable a promising startup firm to scale up. On average, pre-initial public offering (IPO) venture capital funding for innovative firms – if they can obtain any venture capital or private equity funding at all – is only a fifth as much as for their US counterparts, private equity funding only a twentieth as much.
Silicon Valley as we know it today would have been unthinkable without ERISA, a little-noticed 1974 change in the US regulation of pension funds. ERISA unleashed a growing flood of pension fund money into venture capital funds, and also provided future pensioners with better returns on their payments.
In this Lab session, we will explore possible changes to pension and insurance policy that might serve not only to unlock the EU’s innovation potential, but that might perhaps also contribute to better stability for pensions in the face of demographic change. Recent developments in Italy will be of special interest.
Not a single speech of any European politician goes without saying ‘that Europe needs to bring energy prices down’. However, politicians are less vocal when it comes to the ‘how’ of reducing energy costs. Of the suggestions that are put forward, most overlook the other side of the equation: profitability of investment. In the medium to long-term, Europe will need to invest massively in low-carbon electricity generation. This, in turn, requires that electricity generation remains profitable. In order to solve this conundrum, it is clear that we are in need of new and different solutions.
This Lab session will address possible solutions to high energy prices, which consistently have been identified as one of the main impediments to competitiveness of EU industry. We will identify possible measures to reduce EU energy prices and discuss implications for a situation where the gap, notably with the US and China, cannot be closed.
Advances in quantum technologies have the potential to drastically change the world as we know it. They are expected to positively impact many sectors of the global economy, including pharmaceuticals, climate and weather modelling, and financial portfolio management. These benefits come from the computational advantages of problem solving in totally novel and different ways compared to using traditional computers.
At the same time, this new computational power also has a downside. The biggest threat established by quantum computing technologies is that, in the near future, they could break through the cryptographic methods that underpin our current methods of cybersecurity, allowing for the unauthorised decryption of private messages and financial transactions.
There is a growing consensus among the major companies building quantum computers that Computational Relevant Quantum Computing (CQRC), able to crack the current encryption algorithms, will be available by the beginning of the next decade.
Against this backdrop, this lab will discuss questions such as:
This Lab session presents the results of a study that examines innovative funding mechanisms, such as advance market commitments, to help the EU fund global health innovation. The study was developed in consultation with over 30 leading organisations from academia, industry and civil society. It includes case studies of successful incentives implemented to drive research and development (R&D) in areas of unmet medical need such as neglected, rare or emerging infectious diseases.
In the political guidelines for her second term, Commission President von der Leyen pledged to open up ‘legal migration pathways’ to the EU, protect third-country nationals from exploitation, ensure good working conditions and attract individuals with the skills needed to strengthen national economies.
But what are ‘legal pathways’ and who are they for? How will the von der Leyen II Commission improve and strengthen the existing framework for regular migration? Do current EU and national migration policies effectively address the real-life circumstances and aspirations of third-country nationals moving to or residing in the EU? Are these policies inclusive enough, and do they comply with EU and international legal and labour standards? What are priority areas for action under the current Commission?
Drawing on the preliminary findings of the I-CLAIM and AspirE Horizon Europe projects, this Lab session will examine current EU and national approaches to regular migration, their effects on the living and working conditions of third-country nationals, and explore potential recommendations for improvement.
Even in countries with a long history of private finance and operation of infrastructure services, governments are feeling pressured by calls to return to its public provision. This Lab session will seek answers to the questions this raises: Why are concessions under pressure? What is behind the belief that public sector provision would better serve users and taxpayers? Should new regulatory steps be taken to make infrastructure policy more effective?
The promotion and creation of quality jobs feature amongst the primary responsibilities of the new Executive Vice-President for Social Rights, Quality Jobs and Preparedness. This priority intertwines with other important policy challenges for the future of the EU, notably the green transition. A fair transition can only be ensured if workers displaced from their industries can regain a job with decent working conditions. The creation of quality jobs can help key sectors secure the right workforce with proper skills and access to training.
After briefly discussing the concept of job quality, this Lab session will focus on the relation between the green transition in the labour market and job quality. How will climate change and the transition to a green economy affect job quality? Are green jobs quality jobs? What means exist to improve the quality of green jobs? These questions will be explored during this session with our group of panellists.
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
More information coming soon!
The UNESCO report on global AI supervision offers recommendations to advance the international coordination of AI regulation. In a comparative analysis of competent authorities, it examines AI supervision in eight countries across five continents, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Singapore, India, South Africa, the UK and the Netherlands.
The report analyses commonalities and differences between the mandates of supervisory authorities, their relationships with other agencies and industries and regulatory frameworks in each country. Key factors include the scope of AI supervision, compliance mechanisms and opportunities for international collaboration.
This Lab session will discuss best practices and challenges in AI supervision, as identified during the research. It will further present the Global AI Supervision Network, which aims to enhance efficiency, bridge gaps and strengthen collaboration and information exchange in AI governance across different regulatory landscapes.
More information coming soon!
After six years in force, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been the basis for over 80 rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and has resulted in more than 2000 fines totalling 4.5 billion EUR. Its significant impact has spurred the creation of a compliance service industry and influenced global privacy regimes.
From the start, GDPR faced challenges in achieving its ambitious goals. Vague provisions and underfinancing led to legal uncertainty, fragmentation, and under-enforcement, undermining its one-stop-shop mechanism and causing unforeseen spillover effects. Today, the data regulatory landscape is more complex with the introduction of Data Strategy regulations and the AI Act, expanding the scope GDPR must oversee in a digital environment.
Is now the time to revisit and revise GDPR to address these issues, or is it too soon given that the new regulations are not yet fully enforced? Despite these considerations, the implementation and enforcement of GDPR, along with compliance and regulatory costs, impacts on fundamental rights, market power and innovation, continue to present significant challenges that require urgent attention.
Tune in to our expert panel discussion in this Lab session on the future of GDPR, the evolution of European data protection and its impact on the EU’s digital competitiveness.
The future belongs to the next generation, but too many policies affecting young people have not been designed with consideration for the lived perspective of youth themselves. The CEPS Young Thinkers, a forum for young people to engage in European policy discussions, this year comprises nine talented individuals from across the globe, who have taken the role of shadow EU Commissioners. Through a series of commentaries, they have envisioned the future of the EU, critically examining and questioning pressing issues, from algorithmic bias in AI technology to the paradoxical incompatibility between our EU values and our migration policy.
Our Young Thinkers’ ideas have been commented on, challenged and co-developed, before being refined and published. From this process, the standout commentary has been chosen and will be showcased at this Ideas Lab session, followed by interactions with prominent speakers. The session will also demonstrate the benefits of an innovative digital deliberative tool that allows the audience to express their sentiments and opinions in real-time. Come and live the future, today!
More information coming soon!
Recent developments in generative AI have helped to democratise expertise, making knowledge more accessible to a wide range of non-expert workers. Meanwhile, however, many high- and middle skilled occupations continue to experience labour shortages. This lab session will explore how such advancements in AI could be leveraged to redesign jobs and organisations, addressing skill shortages and providing new career paths. (For further background, listen to this CEPS Tech podcast episode)
Laura Nurski, Associate Research Fellow and Head of Programme on Future of Work
Laura Nurski, Associate Research Fellow and Head of Programme on Future of Work