Building expertise, driving innovation

Digital Skills Summit

Digital Skills Summit

11th December 2025 | Brussels & Online

Skills. Strategy. Sovereignty.

Europe’s digital leadership depends on its ability to develop and retain a highly skilled workforce. As we enter the age of AI and face new geopolitical and technological challenges, advanced digital skills are critical to ensuring resilience, innovation, and competitiveness.

The Digital Skills Summit 2025 brings together key policymakers, business leaders, and education pioneers to build a Union of Skills, a vision for a truly connected and AI-ready workforce.

With participation from Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and senior representatives from the European Commission, Member States, and industry, this high-level event will explore concrete actions to align education, labour, and innovation agendas across Europe.

Key Focus Areas

Cybersecurity and Defence

Europe’s security depends on digital resilience. The Summit will explore how we can train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and ensure we have the talent to defend critical infrastructure and respond to hybrid threats.

AI Skills and Innovation Leadership

AI is transforming every sector. We will discuss how Europe can lead in AI development and deployment by building robust talent pipelines, from research and regulation to SME adoption and enterprise transformation.

Competitiveness and Talent Mobility

To close the innovation gap, Europe must remove barriers to talent mobility. Discussions will focus on aligning qualification frameworks, mutual recognition, and building a borderless digital labour market.

Policy Alignment and Implementation

Many initiatives exist at EU and national level, but alignment is lacking. The Summit will examine what is working, where the gaps are, and how we can better coordinate skills strategies across sectors and borders.

This is where Europe’s digital talent future gets shaped.
Join us in Brussels or online on 11 December 2025.

Confirmed Speakers

09:00 - 10:00

VIP Executive Roundtable and Breakfast (by invitation only)

“Leading the Union of Skills: From Vision to Execution”

A high-level closed-door roundtable with EU policymakers, DIGITALEUROPE Board members, high-level executives.
09:00-09:45

Registration and coffee
10:10 - 10:20

Opening Remarks

The Union of Skills Starts Here

DIGITALEUROPE

A warm welcome highlighting the power of public-private collaboration to build a trueUnion of Skills, with a special emphasis on pan-European mobility, digital innovation, and inclusive growth.
10:20 – 10:40

Keynote Address

Europe’s Skills Pledge for 2030 and Beyond

Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness
10:40 – 11:00

Keynote Address

Karen Massin, Head Government Affairs & Public Policy – EU Institutions Google
11:00-11:45
Panel Discussion 1: Cracking the AI Skills Code: Shaping Europe’s AI Workforce for Global Leadership

Rooted in the AI Continent Action Plan and the AI Act, this session examines how to build a workforce ready to develop, regulate, and apply AI responsibly spanning from PhD to SME adoption.

Moderated by: Julien Chasserieau, DIGITALEUROPE

Speakers:
- Rod Evans, NVIDIA Vice President for Supercomputing, AI Factories and NVIDIA Cloud Partners
- Dimosthenis Anagnostopoulos, Secretary General for Information Systems and Digital Governance, Hellenic Ministry of Digital Governance
- Nanna-Louise Wildfang Linde, Vice President of European Government Affairs at Microsoft
- Ms Malgorzata Nikowska, Head of Unit A4 – AI Innovation and Policy Coordination
11:45-12:15

Coffee break
12:15-13:00
Panel Discussion 2: Digital Shield: Building the Skilled Force Europe Needs 

 

As Europe invests in defence and cyber resilience, how do we grow the digital workforce to support this ambition? This panel focuses on boosting cybersecurity skills as attacks on critical infrastructure risk disabling essential services, disrupting supply chains, and eroding public trust. 

 

Moderated by: Constantinos Hadjisavvas, DIGITALEUROPE

Speakers:
- Dr Benedetta Berti (Secretary General NATO Parliamentary Assembly)
- Nina Olesen, European Cyber Security Organisation (ECSO)
- Karen Massin, Head Government Affairs & Public Policy – EU Institutions Google
13:00-14:00

Networking lunch (open to all participants)