Today marks the start of Connecting Europe Days 2026, the European Commission’s flagship event for transport and mobility, taking place from 28 September to 1 October in Brussels. It will bring together leading politicians, industry representatives and the Commission to discuss key transport issues and their role in boosting Europe’s competitiveness, connectivity and resilience, including military mobility and defence, across the 27-member bloc and beyond.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will deliver a speech during the opening ceremony tomorrow at 14.00 CEST. You can follow it live on EBS+.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Transport turns the promise of a connected Europe into an everyday experience. We want to build the transport system Europe will need for the decades ahead and create a true Transport Union. To connect our people. And for our competitiveness and resilience. Today, we are reinforcing the transport infrastructure on which our economy and communities depend.”
Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas will host the four-day event filled with debates, plenary sessions, and exhibitions. Highlights will be live streamed.
In an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment, the Connecting Europe Days will examine how transport policy can help complete the Trans-European Transport Network, remove its remaining bottlenecks, strengthen transport resilience and military mobility, as well as secure investments for infrastructure. Discussions and debates will also focus on Europe’s maritime sector, in line with the new EU Ports and Industrial Maritime Strategies, as well as ways to improve passenger connectivity, including through Commission initiatives such as the High-Speed Rail Plan and the Passenger Package.
Commissioner Tzitzikostas will take part in several sessions and special events, including the signature of a new Action Plan to boost cross-border cooperation on key transport links between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. He will also attend the ‘Connecting Europe by Air’ event with the Irish Presidency of the Council of EU.
Executive Vice-President for Cohesion and Reforms Raffaele Fitto will speak at the plenary session focused on mobilising investment for Europe’s transport infrastructure, including through the Connecting Europe Facility, Cohesion Policy and the future National and Regional Partnership Plans, on Wednesday. Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius will discuss military mobility, transport capabilities, military needs and emerging threats in a high-level panel tomorrow.
