Annual Conferences

Welcome & Opening

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Chairwoman, Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Thomas Vogel, Co-Director, European Exchange

Keynote

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Prize Winner, Chairwoman, Centre for Civil Liberties

Opening Panel: Ukraine’s path to the EU between reforms and security priorities – how Germany and Poland can contribute

Poland and Germany have a strong interest in ensuring that Ukraine emerges from Russia’s war of aggression as a victor and an independent state and becomes a full member of the EU through a performance-based, yet proactively designed and time-bound accession process. The panel examines the opportunities and risks of the EU accession process, identifies key thematic challenges, and discusses concrete proposals for Ukrainian-Polish-German cooperation.

Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, MP, Chair of the Committee for European Integration, Verkhovna Rada [tbc]
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Chairwoman, Konrad Adenauer Foundation
Ewa Synowiec, Member in the European Observatory at the Centre for International Relations
Johannes Volkmann, MP, Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, German Bundestag
Viktoriia Melnyk, Head of International Relations and European Integration - Centre of Policy and Legal Reform (CPLR)

Moderation: Edwin Bendyk, Director of the Stefan Batory Foundation

In cooperation with the Stefan Batory Foundation

The role of communities in civil protection and comprehensive defence. How to build an ecosystem of a resilient society?

The Ukrainian experience shows that resilience stems from the ability to engage in decentralized cooperation with state and non-state actors capable of acting independently, as well as from the ability to sustainably integrate government action with civil society, economic, and local capacities. The panel aims to highlight Ukraine’s successful strategies and examine their applicability to countries such as Poland and Germany. It will showcase successful examples of cooperation among the three countries and initial steps toward moving away from ad hoc measures toward a more strategic approach to coordinating and sustaining civil protection.

Oleh Saakian, Co-founder, National Platform for Resilience & Cohesion
Regina Kharchenko, Acting Mayor of Zaporizhzhya
Monika Miłowska, Founder and Chair, Mapuj Pomoc Network
N.N. German Federal Office for Civil Protection  

Moderation: Wilfried Jilge, Associate Fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), Board Member of Kyiv Dialogue

In cooperation with the German Platform for the Reconstruction of Ukraine

Ukrainian Media and Civil Society in Survival Mode: Europe's Frontline against Russian Disinformation

For more than a decade, Ukrainian journalists have been working in survival mode: reporting under missile attacks, facing occupation and the economic collapse of their newsrooms, while countering one of the world's most sophisticated propaganda machines. Russia's disinformation campaigns do not stop at Ukraine's borders. They target elections, public trust and social cohesion across Europe. Together with journalists and civil society organisations who monitor, expose and counter Russian propaganda, we will discuss the threats, fights, experiences and successes of Ukrainian media in defending reliable information and trust in media. What can Europe learn from Ukraine, and how can we support independent journalism as a pillar of democratic security?

Rebecca Harms, former Member of the European Parliament, Board Member of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Ola Myrovych, CEO, Lviv Media Forum (LMF)
Ihor Rozkladai, media lawyer, co-founder of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM)
Roman Kulchynskyi, co-founder and editor-in-chief, Texty.org.ua

In cooperation with ECPMF and the Heinrich Böll Foundation

BREAK-OUT SESSIONS

Can Europe afford Ukraine – and can it afford not to?

The panel will examine how to secure predictable, sustainable financing for Ukraine in the years ahead – across defense, recovery, and reform – at a moment of geopolitical volatility and competing budgetary pressures. Building on the experience of the Ukraine Facility and the ongoing debate around the next MFF (Multi-annual Financial Framework), the discussion will also ask how private capital and investment can complement public support, and what role European and international institutions play in facilitating this. Ukraine’s EU path serves as the framework for reform and strategic direction throughout this process.

Reiner Perau, Managing Director, German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine) [tbc]                
Olga Pindyuk, Economist, Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw)
Gabriel Blanc, Team Leader, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, EU KOM  [tbc]
Mykhailyna Skoryk-Shkarivska, co-founder, Institute for Sustainable Development of Communities (ISDC)

Moderator: Miriam Kosmehl, Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Foundation

In cooperation with Bertelsmann Stiftung

Is Europe ready for civilian defence? – emerging threats, new technologies and the role of civil society

The war in Ukraine has become a live laboratory for 21st-century conflict. AI-enabled targeting, cyber operations, and hybrid tactics are reshaping how security is contested and defended on the battlefield, but also heavily affecting civilians. Is Europe able to learn from Ukraine and set up its military and civilian defence?

Sara Nanni, MP, Member of the Defence Committee, German Bundestag
Marcus Welsch, OSINT and data analyst, author of the Ukraine Air War Monitor
Valdas Saldžiūnas, Lithuanian Defense and Security Expert

Moderator: Dr. Jan-Philipp Wölbern, Deputy Head of the Ukraine Office, Konrad Adenauer Foundation

In cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation

Wrap up and closing remarks