European Data Summit 2026 – Enforce. Simplify. Build.

Die gemeinsame Erkenntnis ist: Europas künftige Rolle in der digitalen Wirtschaft sollte nicht nur von der Festlegung von Regeln abhängen, sondern auch davon, diese in wirksame Ergebnisse umzusetzen und gleichzeitig die eigenen technologischen und wirtschaftlichen Grundlagen zu stärken.

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Johnny Ryan, Irish Council for civil liberties, gave an insight on Irelands role in Europe’s way to Digital Sovereignty.

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Executive General of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Mark Speich, welcomed the guests of the European Data Summit.

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Rita Wezenbeek, member of the European Comission, gave the opening keynote.

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From left to right: Klaus Müller, Federal Network Agency; Simonetta Vezzoso, University of Trento; Martijn Snoep, The Netherlands Authority of Consumers and Markets; Pencho Kuzev, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

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From left to right: Prabhat Agarwal, European Commission; Julia Marquier, Federal Network Agency; Mauritius Dorn, ISD Germany, Johhny Ryan, Irish Council for Civil Liberties; Lena Maria Böswald, Interface.

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From left to right: Antonio Mangianelli, Cerre / University of Siena; Alberto Bacchiega, European Comission; Thorsten Käseberg, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy; Cori Crider, Future of Tech Institute; Pencho Kuzev, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.

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Francesco Bonfiglio, Entrepreneur and an Expert in Digital Transformation, talked with Boyan Ivanov, Storpool; Alessandro Cillario, Cubbit Srl; Gabriele Fronzè, Elemento Modular Cloud; Matthias Eckermann, Suse; Sebastiano Toffatelli, European DIGITAL SME Alliance (from left to right).

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Frederike Kaltheuner (right) moderated the discussion of “Scaling Europe’s Cloud Structure” between Achim Weiss, IONOS, (left) and Bernd Wagner, Schwarz Digits / STACKIT, (middle).

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From left to right: Alberto Bacchiega, European Comission; Natalie Harsdorf, Federal Competition Authority; Cori Crider, Future of Tech Institute; Samuel Stolton, Bloomberg.

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As member of the German Parliament Hansjörg Durz held a keynote on how Europe approaches Digital Sovereignty in the current political climate.

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Robin Berjon, EuroSky, talks about the role of social media in the Digital Public Infrastructure.

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The annual European Data Summit was held in the Academy of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung on 14. and 15. April 2026.

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Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

Leon Fülber

The European Data Summit 2026 took place on 14–15 April 2026, marking its seventh edition. Since its inception, more than 350 speakers have contributed to the debates, establishing the Summit as a leading platform for discussions on European digital and competition policy.

This year’s Summit was held under the motto “Enforce. Simplify. Build.”, highlighting that digital sovereignty must be actively shaped through the effective enforcement of existing rules, the simplification of regulatory processes, and investments in European technologies and digital infrastructure. Particular attention was given to the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA), especially in the area of cloud infrastructure.

Gatekeepers in the Cloud

Antonio Manganelli outlined concrete regulatory options for addressing existing enforcement gaps and presented practical solutions within the framework of the Digital Markets Act. Although cloud services are explicitly listed as core platform services under the DMA, the regulation has so far remained largely ineffective in this sector. The Study “Gatekeepers in the Cloud” published in conjunction with the Summit examined why the DMA faces limitations when applied to cloud markets. It identifies both a structural and regulatory mismatch between the DMA’s platform-based design and the realities of cloud services. The paper proposes new approaches to designation, with a particular focus on cloud marketplaces and ecosystem dynamics. It also outlines a forward-looking regulatory framework centred on cloud neutrality, data access, and fairness.

Through this study, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung provided practical recommendations for the European Commission and other regulatory authorities aimed at strengthening competition and fairness in the cloud economy.

EuroSky and a European Resilience Stack Among the highlights of the Summit were two exclusive announcements: EuroSky, a European social media infrastructure initiative, and a European “Resilience Stack”, developed by several European companies to ensure digital resilience even in times of geopolitical crisis.

The Summit also underscored that Europe’s enforcement architecture remains fragmented. Discussions focused on national responsibilities, particularly Ireland’s role in enforcing key digital regulations, and the resulting questions regarding the effectiveness of the current system.

Digital Sovereignty

The Summit also featured a closed-door policy discussion with State Secretary Jörg Semmler from the Federal Chancellery, Parliamentary State Secretary Thomas Jarzombek from the Federal Ministry for Digitalisation and State Modernisation (BMDS), and several representatives of the European Commission.

A central message emerging from the discussion was that digital sovereignty will only gain broader public support if it becomes tangible and demonstrates its political relevance, particularly in areas such as child protection. The objective is clear: a European digital ecosystem that is secure, resilient against foreign interference, protective of intellectual property and privacy, and robust against abuse. In short Digital Sovereignty.

The European Commission was represented by Rita Wezenbeek, Alberto Bacchiega, Prabhat Agarwal, and Björn Juretzki. Participants also included Martijn Snoep, President of the Dutch Competition Authority, and Natalie Harsdorf, Director General of the Austrian Federal Competition Authority. Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) was represented, among others, by its President Klaus Müller.

A particular highlight was the CEO panel featuring leading European cloud providers, including Achim Weiss (IONOS) and Bernd Wagner (Schwarz Digits).

Enforce – Enforcement as a Prerequisite for Digital Sovereignty

The discussions under the theme “Enforce” centred on whether Europe’s digital rulebook is translating into tangible market outcomes. While the introduction of the DMA and DSA represents a significant milestone, enforcement remains at an early stage.

Speakers pointed to initial tangible effects, including greater consumer choice, improved interoperability, and the entry of new market participants. However, these developments were consistently described as incremental rather than transformative. Ongoing investigations, compliance procedures, and regulatory dialogues demonstrate that enforcement is a continuous and resource-intensive process rather than a one-off intervention.

A key theme was the gap between the breadth of regulation and its practical implementation. Despite an extensive legal framework, structural obstacles remain, including limited enforcement capacity, lengthy proceedings, and strategic resistance by major platform providers. In this context, effective enforcement was repeatedly identified as a decisive factor in achieving digital sovereignty.

More critical voices questioned whether existing enforcement mechanisms are sufficient to address systemic problems in digital markets. In particular, the experience with the GDPR was cited as an example where ambitious regulatory objectives have not always translated into effective oversight or measurable changes in corporate behaviour. Overall, the discussions highlighted that enforcement is not merely a legal or technical challenge, but a strategic test of Europe’s ability to maintain control over its digital markets.

At the same time, digital regulation is increasingly embedded within a broader geopolitical and economic context. Questions of technological dependency, market concentration, and digital sovereignty are no longer abstract concerns but central elements of contemporary policy debates.

Simplify – From Complexity to Innovation and Legal Certainty

The discussions under the theme “Simplify” focused on the growing complexity of Europe’s digital regulatory framework and the challenge of making it more workable in practice. While the existing rules are generally regarded as comprehensive, their implementation often creates uncertainty, particularly for smaller market participants.

A central topic was the proposed Digital Omnibus, which seeks to reduce fragmentation by bringing key elements of Europe’s data framework into a more coherent structure. The debate revealed differing views regarding legal clarity and fundamental definitions. In particular, some participants argued that a more flexible understanding of personal data is necessary to enable data-driven innovation, especially in the context of artificial intelligence. Others cautioned that such changes could introduce additional uncertainty and weaken the consistency of existing standards.

Overall, simplification emerged not as a purely technical exercise, but as a strategic balancing act between regulatory order and innovation capacity.

Build – Strengthening Europe’s Digital Capabilities

While much of the Summit focused on regulation and enforcement, the discussions under the theme “Build” addressed a more fundamental question: what alternatives are currently

emerging, and which services can make a tangible contribution to European digital sovereignty? Rather than focusing on legal frameworks, this part of the debate highlighted concrete initiatives and products.

A recurring theme was the limited ability of European actors to scale digital technologies, particularly in strategically important sectors such as cloud infrastructure. In response, several speakers emphasised the need for a more active role of the state, especially on the demand side. Public procurement was identified as a key instrument for creating market opportunities for European solutions. By acting as an anchor customer, the public sector could reduce uncertainty for emerging providers and support the development of competitive ecosystems. At the same time, concerns were raised about potential inefficiencies and the risk of fragmenting the Single Market.

Dependence on external providers was described as a structural vulnerability, particularly in scenarios where access to critical services could become restricted or politicised. As a result, the focus shifted from innovation alone to broader questions of resilience and strategic control.

In this context, the “Build” panels focused less on individual policy instruments and more on Europe’s underlying capacity to act. Without scalable infrastructure, sufficient capital, and strategic demand in clearly defined priority sectors, regulatory ambitions will continue to face structural constraints.