Speakers
Aspen Annual Conference 2026
Europe and United States: One Future?
Date: January 29. 2026
Time: 9:00 - 17:30, opens with registration at 8:30
Place: Prague Crossroads Centre
Welcome remarks
Pavel Řehák & Ivan Hodáč, Aspen Institute Central Europe
Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Keynote / Headliners
David Cameron, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Radosław Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Poland (invited)
Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security (video)
Mari Kiviniemi, Former Prime Minister of Finlanland
Jaromír Zůna, Minister-designate of Interior of the Czech Republic
Panels
Business & Economic Competitiveness
Shaping a Common Transatlantic Future
Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships
Danuta Hübner, Former European Commissioner for Regional Policy
Raffaella Tenconi, Sr. Economist Wood&Co, Founder, ADA Economics
Jan Švejnar, Professor of Economics, CERGE-EI & Columbia University
Petr Bartoň, Chief Economist, Natland Investment Group
Geopolitics & Strategy
Europe and the United States—Common Goals in a Fragmented World
Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt (ret.), Former Deputy Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force
Tomáš Petříček, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic
Mustafa Aydın, Professor of International Relations, Kadir Has University
Education
Making Systems Future-Ready: Investing Early
James Cairns, Senior Director, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University
Robert Plaga, Minister of Education, Czech Republic (designated)
Dita Formánková, Founder, Czechitas, Executive Board Member, Nadace Česká spořitelna
Tomáš Drucker, Minister of Education, Slovakia (invited)
Technology: AI & Cybersecurity
American Innovation vs. European Regulation
Jaya Baloo, COO & CISO at AISLE
Hendrik Bourgeois, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & Policy, Europe, Mastercard
Michal Pěchouček, Director, Artificial Intelligence Center, Rector-elect, Czech Technical University
Andrea Rigoni, Managing Partner, Altirium
Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General, DG CONNECT, European Commission
Transatlantic Energy Relations
Transatlantic Energy Security
Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy Poland (invited)
Olga Khakova, Deputy Director for European Energy Security, Atlantic Council
Endre Ascsillán, Chief Strategic & Government Affairs Officer, Arabelle Solutions
Kamil Čermák, Chairman and CEO, ČEZ ESCO
Kimberly D. Harrington, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Energy Bureau, U.S. Department of State (invited)
