EIB Group Forum 2026 —one of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group’s flagship annual events— was held in Luxembourg (3–5 March). Under the theme of building “A Strong Europe in a Changing World”, it brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts to discuss how investment can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and strategic autonomy. EIB President Nadia Calviño opened the Forum announcing new financing to strengthen European security and defence and laying out a set of actions to advance the Savings and Investment Union, supporting businesses seeking to innovate, expand and compete globally.
Dr. Elena Lazarou participated in the EIB Group Forum 2026, moderating the high‑level panel on “Security and Defence”. Opening the session, Dr. Lazarou highlighted the importance of mobilising innovation and coordinated European action to reinforce defence capabilities in a time of multiple and multiplying security crises for the EU. The discussion explored how Europe is strengthening defence through innovation, resilience and cooperation—bringing together industry, NATO and EU institutions to drive technological progress and reinforce collective security and how stakeholders can address the challenges of scale and competitiveness.
The panel featured Andre Denk, Chief Executive, European Defence Agency; Philippe Errera, EVP for International Development and Government Relations, Safran; Tarja Jaakkola, Assistant Secretary General, NATO; Ricardo Mendes, Chief Executive Officer, Tekever. The session was preceded by an intervention by Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, and Implementation and Simplification.
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