On 12 March 2026, the Centre for European Transformation (CfET) at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management hosted its 3rd Annual Conference, bringing together over 170 senior leaders from finance, industry, and policymaking.
Under the theme “Financing European Sovereignty”, the conference examined how Europe can mobilise public and private capital to strengthen strategic capabilities in defence and energy, while preserving competitiveness and resilience in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.
A key highlight was the launch of the Transformation Investment Compass, a new CfET research initiative tracking corporate investment decisions across Europe at the project level — from energy infrastructure and industrial competitiveness to defence and technological capabilities. More information can be found here.
The programme featured a fireside chat with Martin Blessing, Personal Representative of the Federal Chancellor for Investments, as well as panels on Europe’s Economic Security, Defence & Crisis Preparedness, and Energy Security & Transition — with speakers from the European Investment Bank, McKinsey, DWS, KfW, KKR, EnBW, and J.E.D.I., among others.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our outstanding speakers, our conference moderator Carolin Roth, our main sponsor DWS, our media partner Börsen-Zeitung, and all participants who contributed to a rich and timely debate.
Watch the After Movie of the 3rd Annual Conference to relive the key moments – from the launch of the Transformation Investment Compass to the debates on Europe’s economic security, defence readiness, and energy transition.
Finally, mark your calendar for 11 March 2027 and stay ahead of Europe’s transformation agenda: subscribe to the CfET newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn for conference news, research highlights, and future events.
