Program
Aspen Annual Conference 2026
Europe and United States: One Future?
Date: Thursday January 29, 2026
Time: 9:00 - 17:15, opens with registration at 8:30
Place: Prague Crossroads Centre, Zlatá 211, Prague 1
9:00 - 9:20 Welcome remarks
Pavel Řehák, President, Aspen Institute CE
Ivan Hodáč, Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Aspen Institute CE
Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Nicholas Merrick, United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic
9:20 - 9:35 Keynote Speeches
Mari Kiviniemi, Former Prime Minister of Finland
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security (video adress)
9:35 - 9:50 Fireside Chat with Jan Švejnar - EU Competitiveness Post-Draghi Report
Jan Švejnar, Professor of Economics, CERGE-EI & Columbia University in conversation with Tomáš Salomon, Member of the Board, Aspen Institute CE; CEO at Česká spořitelna
Panels
9:50 - 10:50 Business & Economic Competitiveness
Shaping a Common Transatlantic Future
Petr Bartoň, Chief Economist, Natland Investment Group
Danuta Hübner, Former European Commissioner for Regional Policy
Raffaella Tenconi, Senior Economist Wood&Company; Founder, ADA Economics
James Waterworth, Director, EU Public Policy, Amazon
10:50 - 11:05 Coffee Break
11:05 - 12:10 Education
Making Systems Future-Ready: Investing Early
James Cairns, Senior Fellow, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Braňo Jakabovič, CEO, Direct Social Impact
Michal Kadera, External Affairs Director, ŠKODA AUTO
Dita Formánková, Founder, Czechitas; Executive Board Member, Nadace Česká spořitelna
12:10 - 12:30 Keynote Address with Jozef Síkela - Cooperation as a Strategic Investment
Jozef Síkela, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships in conversation with Ivan Hodáč, Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Aspen Institute CE
12:30 - 13:15 Lunch Break
13:15 - 13:30 Fireside Chat with Tomáš Pojar - “Europe, We Have a Problem…”
Tomáš Pojar, Former Czech National Security Advisor in conversation with
Michala Hergetová, Journalist
13:30 - 14:30 Geopolitics & Strategy
Europe and the United States—Common Goals in a Fragmented World
Mustafa Aydin, Professor of International Relations, Kadir Has University
Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt (Ret.), Former Deputy Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force
Dita Charanzová, Vice-President, Aspen Institute Central Europe; Former Vice-President of European Parliament
Tomáš Petříček, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic
Miroslav Wlachovský, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Slovakia
14:30 - 15:30 Technology: AI & Cybersecurity
American Innovation vs. European Regulation
Jaya Baloo, COO & CISO at AISLE
Hendrik Bourgeois, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & Policy, Europe, Mastercard
Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Michal Pěchouček, Director, Artificial Intelligence Center, Rector-elect, Czech Technical University
Andrea Rigoni, Non-resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Managing Partner, Altirium
15:30 - 15:45 Coffee Break
15:45 - 16:00 Fireside Chat with David Cameron
David Cameron, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in conversation with
Tomáš Klvaňa, Executive Director, Aspen Institute CE
16:00 - 17:00 Energy Security & Climate Resilience
Transatlantic Energy Security
Endre Ascsillán, Chief Strategic & Government Affairs Officer, Arabelle Solutions
Kamil Čermák, Chairman and CEO, ČEZ ESCO
Olga Khakova, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Global Energy Center, Atlantic Council
Alice Wells, Executive Vice President, ExxonMobil Europe
17:00 - 17:10 - Official Closing of the Conference: Where Do We Go from Here?
Ivan Hodáč, Founder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Aspen Institute CE
