Happy New Year! The Centre for Digitalisation, Democracy and Innovation (CD2I) at the Brussels School of Governance is organising an online panel discussion on The Geopolitics of Tech: Europe in an Era of Realignments? on 16 January 2026. The priorities of the first Von der Leyen Commission (2019-2024) focused on a human-centered digital transition firmly rooted in European values. However, anno 2025, the geopolitical landscape has shifted and the three most salient concepts in European policymaking circles today are security, resilience, and competitiveness. This is most recently evidenced by the EU’s Digital Omnibus Regulation that has been criticized for walking back on democratic commitments laid out in the AI Act or GDPR, in the name of simplification needed for the flourishing of European businesses. Indeed, the new approach of the second Von der Leyen Commission (2024-2029) is illustrative of the challenges, shifts, and realignments that have been reflected in global digital politics, often symptomatic of the increasing intertwining of the public and private tech sectors. While the traditional ‘like-minded’ partnership with the US is under pressure and the rivalry with China intensifies, this panel discussion aims to take stock of the rapidly changing geopolitics of the tech arena and the possibilities brought about by building closer relations with newly emerging digital powers, such as India. What do the EU’s nascent efforts in the face of geopolitical power struggles mean for global security, the global data economy, the AI race, and the digital politics of the future? Speakers: * Antonio Calcara, Head of the Geopolitics and Technology Programme at CSDS, Brussels School of Governance * Julia Pohle, Co-head of the Research Group on Politics of Digitalization, WZB Berlin Social Science Center * Shyam Krishnakumar, Executive Director, The Pranava Institute The panel discussion will take place on 16 January, 15:00 (GMT/UTC+1) on Zoom, please register to receive the meeting link. Registration: https://www.brussels-school.be/output/events/online-panel-discussion-geopoli... Our best wishes for 2026, Orsolya Gulyás and Trisha Meyer