Speakers revealed: European Commission, EDIC, researchers and commoners to shape the next phase of Europe’s Digital Commons.
Brussels, 2 November: The NGI Commons project announced today the full programme and speaker line-up for the upcoming Digital Commons Policy Summit 2026, taking place on 12th November in Brussels. The Summit brings together policymakers, researchers, industry, civil society and the communities who build and maintain digital commons to discuss how Europe can make open, community-governed digital infrastructure, a pillar of its tech sovereignty packages and upcoming new initiatives which will secure sustainable European Digital Infrastructures.
The Summit will also be the final event of NGI Commons initiative, a Coordination and Support Action that started in January 2024 and which will run until February 2027. Over three years, the project's four partners have worked to strengthen the Digital Commons and European digital infrastructures and the Summit will set out their ambitions for what comes next.
The day will open with remarks from Benjamin Bögel, Member of the Cabinet of the European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. Benjamin Bögel will share priorities for 2026. Economist Dr Cecilia Rikap (University College London) will deliver the keynote, and Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks at the European Commission's DG CONNECT, will close the Summit with an EC statement.
Across five sessions, almost 30 speakers will examine whether current EU legislation is enough to support the Digital Commons, how the Digital Commons Strategic Agenda can be implemented ahead of FP10, how the newly established Digital Commons EDIC can work hand in hand with commoners, how Commons fit within the Open Internet Stack, and how to secure sustainable funding for the people and projects behind them.
The Summit will also be the final event of NGI Commons initiative, a Coordination and Support Action that started in January 2024 and which will run until February 2027. Over three years, the project's four partners have worked to strengthen the Digital Commons and European digital infrastructures and the Summit will set out their ambitions for what comes next.
The day will open with remarks from Benjamin Bögel, Member of the Cabinet of the European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. Benjamin Bögel will share priorities for 2026. Economist Dr Cecilia Rikap (University College London) will deliver the keynote, and Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks at the European Commission's DG CONNECT, will close the Summit with an EC statement.
Across five sessions, almost 30 speakers will examine whether current EU legislation is enough to support the Digital Commons, how the Digital Commons Strategic Agenda can be implemented ahead of FP10, how the newly established Digital Commons EDIC can work hand in hand with commoners, how Commons fit within the Open Internet Stack, and how to secure sustainable funding for the people and projects behind them.
Europe has set out a clear ambition with the tech sovereignty package. The digital commons are where that ambition becomes real: open, shared infrastructure built and governed by communities. This Summit brings the people who write the policies together with the people who build the commons, so we can agree on what needs to happen next.
Dr Monique Calisti, NGI Commons Coordinator, CEO Martel Innovate
| Time | Session | Speakers |
| 09:00 - 09:30 | Welcome and opening remarks: Tech sovereignty, Open Internet Stack, 2026 priorities | Benjamin Bögel (Cabinet of the EC Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy) |
| 09:30 - 10:45 | Session 1: Tech Sovereignty Package and the Digital Commons – Regulatory sufficiency and what more is needed (moderated by Dr Monique Calisti - Martel Innovate) | Gemma Carolillo (European Commission); Enzo Ribagnac (CISPE); Zuzanna Warso (Open Future Foundation); Sebastiano Toffaletti (Digital SME Alliance) |
| 11:00 - 12:15 | Session 2: The Digital Commons Strategic Agenda – From roadmap to implementation, looking ahead to FP10 (moderated by Paul Keller - Open Future Foundation) | Jan Penfrat (EDRi); Henri Verdier (INRIA); Plixavra Vogiatzoglou (IViR, University of Amsterdam) |
| 13:15 - 13:30 | Keynote speech | Dr Cecilia Rikap |
| 13:30 - 14:45 | Session 3: DC-EDIC and the Commoners – Operationalisation, cooperation and ambition (moderated by Dr Valérian Guillier - CNRS) | Laurent Rojey (Digital Commons EDIC); Emma Ghariani (DINUM); Renata Àvila Pinto (Open Knowledge Foundation); René Lührsen (Leuphana University) |
| 14:45 - 16:00 | Session 4: The Open Internet Stack Landscape and Context – Digital Commons and the Open Internet Stack initiative (moderated by Dr Monique Calisti - Martel Innovate) | Giovanni Rimassa (Martel Innovate, OIS-HUB project); Nuria de Lama (BDVA, INCLUDE project); Michiel Leenaars (NLnet) |
| 16:30 - 17:45 | Session 5: The Commoners & Funding Session – Securing the future (moderated by Nicholas Gates - OpenForum Europe) | Jorge Gasos (European Commission); Franzizka Bormann (Sovereign Tech Agency); Jean-François De Hertogh (Open Source Collective); Arnaud Lesur (Consul Democracy); Rachel Foucard (TYPO3) |
| 17:45 - 18:00 | Closing remarks and EC statement | Dr Monique Calisti; Thibaut Kleiner (Director for Future Networks, DG CONNECT, European Commission) |
Practical information
Date: 12th November 09:00–18:00, followed by a networking reception
Venue: Brussels, Belgium
Format: [In person and hybrid]
Registration: https://commons.ngi.eu/event/digital-commons-policy-summit-2026/
Date: 12th November 09:00–18:00, followed by a networking reception
Venue: Brussels, Belgium
Format: [In person and hybrid]
Registration: https://commons.ngi.eu/event/digital-commons-policy-summit-2026/
About NGI Commons
NGI Commons is a Coordination and Support Action funded by the European Union under [Programme under Grant Agreement number 101135279]. Running from January 2024 to February 2027, it brings together four partners to support the growth and sustainability of Digital Commons and European digital infrastructures as part of the Next Generation Internet initiative. The project is coordinated by Martel Innovate. Partners are CNRS, OpenForum Europe, Open Future Foundation
NGI Commons is a Coordination and Support Action funded by the European Union under [Programme under Grant Agreement number 101135279]. Running from January 2024 to February 2027, it brings together four partners to support the growth and sustainability of Digital Commons and European digital infrastructures as part of the Next Generation Internet initiative. The project is coordinated by Martel Innovate. Partners are CNRS, OpenForum Europe, Open Future Foundation