2026 Tax Foundation Europe Conference and Gala

Agenda

9h00-9h15

Introductory Speech

• Daniel Bunn, President & CEO, Tax Foundation Europe

9h15-10h30

First Session: Update on International Taxation

After more than a decade of international negotiations on reforming the international tax system, the BEPS project stands at a crossroads. What is the future of Pillars One & Two? How should the EU understand its role, and what is the future of the transatlantic relationship if retaliatory taxes are brought back? How far has the UN progressed? How should policymakers think of cross-border tax policies and the importance of FDI?

Moderator: Edwin Visser, Dep. Global Tax Policy Leader, PwC

• Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission
• Rebecca Burch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs, US Department of the Treasury
• Silke Bruns, Director for International Taxation, Federal Ministry of Finance, Germany
• John Peterson, Head of Division for Cross Border and International Taxation, OECD
• Stefano Grilli, Professor of International Tax Law, University of Milan Bicocca

10h30-11h00

Coffee Break

11h00-11h10

Multiannual Financial Framework Update

• MEP Fernando Navarrete, EPP, ES

11h10-12h15

Second Session: What is the Direction of EU Tax Policy?

Since the 2020 interinstitutional agreement, the European Commission, Parliament, and Council have discussed new ways to fund the European budget including new own resources linked to EU policies such as CBAM, the EU emission trading system, non-recycled plastic packaging waste, and an EU Digital Levy. While some of these policies were implemented, others tied to international negotiations look less likely to deliver. How should the next MFF be funded? Beyond the budget, how should policymakers think about the overall direction of tax policy at the EU and national level?

Moderator: Roberta Poza Cid, EU Tax Policy Leader, Deloitte

• Karine Halimi-Guez, Senior Vice President-Group Head of Tax, Booking Holdings
• Lúcio Vinhas de Souza, Chief Economist, BusinessEurope
• Stefanie Geringer, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Vienna
• Donato Raponi, International Tax Consultant, former EU Commission official, honorary professor of European tax law

12h15-13h15

Lunch

13h15-13h25

Tax Policy & Inequality

• Daniel Waldenström, Professor of Economics, IFN Stockholm

13h25-14h00

Lunch Session: Tax Fairness or Fiscal Fairness?

Tax Fairness has been at the heart of EU tax policy for more than a decade. But what is tax fairness? How should policymakers measure the impact of EU policies on fairness? Is fiscal fairness a better framing? Drawing on new research, this mock debate will explore fairness definitions and provide guidance for the future of EU tax policy.

Moderator: Elodie Lamer, Tax Analysts

• Pasquale Tridico, Chair of FISC Subcommittee on Tax Matters, European Parliament
• Michael Christl, Research Fellow, Tax Foundation Europe

14h00-15h00

Third Session: Domestic and Geopolitical Considerations

Since BEPS 1.0, policymakers have increasingly shied away from positively discussing tax competition. However, as Pillar Two has made clear, jurisdictions will continue to use tax policy to compete for investment and highly mobile workers. The question is how jurisdictions should compete both within the EU and internationally.

Moderator: Daniel Bunn, President & CEO, Tax Foundation Europe

• Giorgia Maffini, Director, PwC United Kingdom
• Christoph Wissman, Senior Director of International Tax Policy, P&G
• Jaap Bellingwout, Professor, VU University Amsterdam
• Nadine Riedel, Director of the Institute for Public and Regional Economics at the University of Münster

15h00-15h30

Coffee Break

15h30-16h15

Fourth Session: Geoeconomics & Tax Policy

The international economic order is rapidly changing. As geoeconomics continues to play a more active role, how should policymakers drive European competitiveness within the evolving boundaries of tax competition? To what extent should jurisdictions leverage their market access and market size to change behavior in other jurisdictions? Is economic power enough to compete in a multipolar world, and what are the trade-offs of having tax policies in a geoeconomic toolkit?

Moderator: Sean Bray, Policy Director, Tax Foundation Europe

• Penny Naas, Senior Vice President, Innovation and Competitiveness, GMF
• Rebecca Christie, Senior Fellow, Bruegel
• Michele Chang, Director, Transatlantic Affairs Program, College of Europe

16h15-16h30

Concluding Remarks

• Daniel Bunn, President & CEO, Tax Foundation Europe

Attire: Black tie preferred

Agenda

18:30-19:00

Networking reception

19:00-19:10

Reception toast

• Katarina Köszeghy, Commissioner Hoekstra’s cabinet

19:15-19:25

Remarks

• Edwin Visser, Tax Foundation Europe board member

19:25-19:30

Announcements

• Daniel Bunn, Tax Foundation Europe President and CEO

19:30-20:30

Dinner

20:30-20:35

Announcements and award honoree introduction

• Helen Pahapill, Tax Policy Adviser at Estonian Ministry of Finance

20:35-20:45

Award Honoree remarks

• Krister Andersson, VP, Employers Group, European Economic and Social Committee

20:45-21:00

End remarks

• Daniel Bunn, Tax Foundation Europe President and CEO

21:00-23:00

Networking