Keynote speech by Maria Luís Albuquerque, European Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, at the joint conference of the European Commission and the European Central Bank “European Financial Integration 2026”.
The conference took place on 7 May 2026.
See the conference programme here:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/260507-european-financial-integration.en.html
Watch all sessions from the conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Y49BF8mTQ&list=PLnVAEZuF9FZlLRLPr0lrYXqh4DcZfWRBT
Keynote speech by Luis De Guindos, Vice-President of the European Central Bank, at the joint conference of the European Commission and the European Central Bank “European Financial Integration 2026”.
The conference took place on 7 May 2026.
See the conference programme here:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/260507-european-financial-integration.en.html
Watch all sessions from the conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl21D9J6kVk&list=PLnVAEZuF9FZlLRLPr0lrYXqh4DcZfWRBT
How can a more integrated banking sector enhance the competitiveness of the EU economy?
Chair: Frank Elderson, member of the Executive Board and Vice-Chair of the Single Supervisory Mechanism, ECB
Panellists:
• Jonás Fernández Álvarez, Member of the European Parliament (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) and member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
• María Abascal, Director General of the Spanish Banking Association and Chair of EBF Executive Committee
• Britta Schmidt, Senior EU Banks Analyst, Autonomous Research
• Ignazio Angeloni, Senior Policy Fellow, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE (Sustainable Architecture for Finance in Europe), Goethe University Frankfurt
The conference took place on 7 May 2026.
See the conference programme here:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/260507-european-financial-integration.en.html
Watch all sessions from the conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Y49BF8mTQ&list=PLnVAEZuF9FZlLRLPr0lrYXqh4DcZfWRBT
Presentation of the ECB’s report on Financial Integration and Structure in the Euro Area:
John Fell, Deputy Director General of the Directorate General Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability, ECB
Presentation of the European Commission’s European Financial Stability and Integration Review:
Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), European Commission
The conference took place on 7 May 2026.
See the conference programme here:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/260507-european-financial-integration.en.html
Watch all sessions from the conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Y49BF8mTQ&list=PLnVAEZuF9FZlLRLPr0lrYXqh4DcZfWRBT
From pillars to portfolios: rethinking pensions for an entrepreneurial Europe
Chair: Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General of DG FISMA, European Commission
Panellists:
• Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, Member of the European Parliament (Renew Europe Group)
• Geraldine Leegwater, CEO, PGGM Investment Management
• Beate Petry, Head of Global Pensions & Benefits, BASF SE, and Chairwoman of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für betriebliche Altersversorgung e.V. (German pension association)
• Patrick Hoedjes, Head of the Policy and Supervisory Convergence Department, European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority
• Tabea Bucher-Koenen, Professor of Finance, University of Mannheim, and Head of the Pensions and Sustainable Financial Markets Research Unit, Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
The conference took place on 7 May 2026.
See the conference programme here:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/press/conferences/html/260507-european-financial-integration.en.html
Watch all sessions from the conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1Y49BF8mTQ&list=PLnVAEZuF9FZlLRLPr0lrYXqh4DcZfWRBT
00:14 – AI is making scams more targeted, credible, and hard to detect: James Dolph, CISO at Guidewire, talks through the dizzying new developments in phishing, where large language models can be used to fabricate entire email threads containing your boss and other colleagues, urging you to hand over valuable data.
03:42 – This Nobel laureate explains the ‘creative destruction’ AI is going to unleash: Nobel laureate Peter Howitt is known for his work on ‘creative destruction’, a model of growth whereby innovation creates value, but renders technologies and jobs obsolete in the process. Here, he explains why he believes ‘we’ll all be winners’ from #AI – and why the doom-sayers of previous technologies were proven wrong.
07:31 – Just 1% of aviation fuel is sustainable. Here’s how that figure can take off: Replacing petroleum-derived jet fuels with sustainable alternatives is key to decarbonizing flying. But today, less than 1% of aviation fuel used around the world is sustainable. So what’s the hold-up? Here, Adam Klauber, Chief Sustainability Officer at WorldEnergy and Brian Peers, Global Head of Sustainable Transport and Fuels at HSBC provide some answers.
11:03 – This technology allows anyone to make computer chips: Inside the device you are reading this on right now, a critical component you might never have heard of is beavering away. ‘Instruction set architectures’ (ISA) are the interface between the hardware and software in every computing device. Most ISAs are proprietary and used under licence. RISC-V is an open-source ISA that is free to use, designed explicitly to be customised, and which is already found in billions of devices and computers around the world. Here’s how it works.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It provides a global, impartial and not-for-profit platform for meaningful connection between stakeholders to establish trust, and build initiatives for cooperation and progress.
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Source: Council of the European Union (video statements)
On 9 May 1950, French foreign minister Robert Schuman delivered a speech that would change Europe forever. His plan? Bind European countries so tightly together through shared resources that war would become practically impossible. It worked.
From the European Coal and Steel Community to the single market, open borders, the euro and free movement, this is how Europe went from a continent in ruins to the world’s largest peaceful union in just a few decades.
EUROPE DAY WEBSITE: Europe Day 2026 – Consilium
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:46 The Schuman Declaration & EU history
03:05 What the EU does for you
06:08 Celebrating Europe Day
06:49 Conclusion
07:27 Outro
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This is the official YouTube channel of the European Council and the Council of the European Union.
The European Council is the highest political body of the European Union. It brings together the heads of state or government of all member states, as well as its President and the President of the European Commission. It shapes the EU’s political agenda, addresses major challenges and sets strategic priorities, such as those outlined in the Strategic Agenda 2024–2029. This seeks to build a Europe that is free and democratic, strong and secure, prosperous and competitive. The European Council also plays a key role in crisis management, from responding to Russia’s war in Ukraine to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. Decisions are typically made by consensus. Its meetings, often called ‘European summits’, take place at least four times a year in Brussels.
The Council of the European Union (often referred to as the ‘Council’) is where the EU’s day-to-day legislative and policy work takes place. Bringing together ministers from each EU member state, it negotiates and adopts laws, usually in partnership with the European Parliament, across 10 policy areas, from foreign affairs to energy. Unlike the European Council, the Council of the European Union operates under a rotating six-month presidency. Each member state holds the presidency in turn. Meetings are held regularly in Brussels and Luxembourg, ensuring that every EU country, regardless of size, has an equal voice in shaping European policies.
Find out more: Consilium
Europe is democracy. Freedom. Unity. And yes, football too.
On Europe Day, President Ursula von der Leyen reflects on what makes us uniquely European: our shared values, our diversity, and the concrete ways Europe shapes our lives, from Erasmus to start-ups to the best quality of life in the world.
Because Europe isn’t just an institution. It’s each and every one of us.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Ms. Izumi Nakamitsu, explains why the NPT (Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons) Review Conference this year is critical for nuclear disarmament.
