As the political debate on the next long-term budget heats up, the EU faces a chronic investment shortfall that threatens its green, digital, security and competitiveness priorities. With the Recovery and Resilience Facility ending in 2026 and national fiscal space tightening, the need to mobilise public and private capital at scale has become increasingly urgent.  
 
The Commission’s ambitious proposal for a nearly €2 trillion Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) signals a renewed push to equip the Union with stronger investment instruments. With the right reforms, the EU could seize this moment to offer a model built on stability, openness and high-quality investment opportunities. 
 
This half-day conference will examine the future of the MFF, consider the reforms needed to mobilise private capital more effectively and explore how Europe can seize the moment to strengthen its investment framework and global competitiveness. 
 
This event marks the end of the EPC’s project on EU strategic investments, which produced the report From mission polity to mission economy: Making the EU a strategic investment power.

Please find the full agenda here and below:

14:00 - 14:05 Welcoming remarks: 

• Fabian Zuleeg, CEO and Chief Economist, European Policy Centre  
   

14:05 - 14:15 Opening keynote: 

• Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, DG GROW  
   

14:15 - 15:30 Panel 1: Towards the next MFF: How can the EU mobilise more investment for strategic goals? 

• Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, DG GROW  

• Sophie Barbier, Director European Affairs Division, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations  

• Rasmus Nordqvist, MEP, Greens, European Parliament 

• Cornel Ban, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School  

• Philipp Lausberg, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre 

Moderated by Georg Riekeles, Associate Director, European Policy Centre  

15:30 - 16:00 Coffee break  

16:00 - 17:15 Panel 2: From savings to scale-ups: Unlocking Europe’s market potential for strategic investment 

• Merete Clausen, Deputy Chief Executive, European Investment Fund 

• Lauro Panella, Member of Cabinet of Commissioner Albuquerque 

• Carey Evans, Managing Director, Global Public Policy Group, BlackRock 

• Victor Englesson, Partner and Head of Early Stage Technology, EQT 

• Georg Riekeles, Associate Director, European Policy Centre 

Moderated by Philipp Lausberg, Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre 

This event welcomes the participation of EPC member organisations, EU institutions and media. For media enquiries, please contact media@epc.eu.

For any other queries regarding the event, please contact events@epc.eu.