Agenda 8:30 - 13:00
7 May 2026 at 08:30
— 7 May 2026 at 09:00
Registration and Welcome Coffee
7 May 2026 at 09:00
— 7 May 2026 at 09:20
Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Welcome Remarks - H.E. Lucie Berger, EU Ambassador to the UAE
- Keynote - H.E. Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space (video message)
7 May 2026 at 09:20
— 7 May 2026 at 10:15
Panel Discussion "Shifting Geopolitical Landscape – New Policy Approaches in the Defence Sector"
- H.E. Lucie Berger, EU Ambassador to the UAE
- H.E. Dr. Oleksandr Balanutsa, Ukrainian Ambassador to the UAE and former Deputy Minister of Defence
- Tim Vallings, VP Strategic Accounts, ICEYE (Finland)
Moderation: Joren Selleslaghs, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Belgium
7 May 2026 at 10:15
— 7 May 2026 at 10:30
Coffee Break
7 May 2026 at 10:30
— 7 May 2026 at 10:50
Fireside Chat “Defence Industry Perspectives in the Current Geopolitical Context”
- Julien Fabreguette, Senior Vice President Industrial Strategy & Partnerships, EDGE Group
- Pavol Čahoj, President of the Slovak Association of Defence Industry (Slovakia)
Moderation: Iti Press, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Estonia
7 May 2026 at 10:50
— 7 May 2026 at 12:05
Panel Discussion: "The Future of Defence: Technology, Innovation and Industrial Partnerships"
- Manuel Pascua, UAE Country Manager, INDRA Group and Chief Executive Officer of Pulse Nova (Spain)
- Markus Staudt, Director Sales, Quantum Systems (Germany)
- Matthieu Clermont, Regional Director, Safran Electronics and Defense, and CEO, Vision for Optronics & Navigation (France)
- Heléne Bittmann, Managing Director, SAAB UAE (Sweden)
- Riccardo Bonalumi, Chief Executive Officer & General Manager, MAESTRAL (Italy)
- Hlačík Zdeněk, Sales Director / VP for Business Development, Aero Vodochody (Czech Republic)
Moderation: Radovan Hudak, Economic Diplomat, Embassy of the Slovak Republic
7 May 2026 at 12:05
— 7 May 2026 at 12:15
Closing Remarks
- H.E. Lucie Berger, EU Ambassador to the UAE
7 May 2026 at 12:15
— 7 May 2026 at 13:30
Networking Lunch