First European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA) Forum: From collaboration to deployment

23-24-25 June 2026, Breydel Auditorium, Avenue d’Auderghem 45, 1000 Brussels

The ECAVA Forum 2026 is the first major public milestone since the Alliance’s launch in October 2025 and the inaugural Working Group meetings in February 2026. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between technical collaboration and political commitment with a view to transform it into actionable strategic direction endorsed by industry leaders, ministers, and the European Commission.

Its main purpose is to bridge the gap between technical collaboration and political commitment – transforming the detailed work of engineers, project managers, and researchers into actionable strategic direction endorsed by industry leaders, ministers and the Commission.

The Forum will gather political leadership, industry executives, city leaders, and international partners to take stock, align and share experience in the field of autonomous driving.

Over one and a half days, the Forum will deliver:

Presentation of the first ECAVA Technology Roadmaps (SDV, Hardware, AD Technology Stack) to be published on 15 September 2026.
The launch of the Autonomous Drive Ambition Cities (ADACities) initiative moving it from concept to city partnerships and industry commitments.
International learning from Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States on their regulatory frameworks, safety standards and deployment models in autonomous driving.

Registration:

Please register for the Forum using the link by 31 May 2026: https://register.event-works.europa.eu/dgcnect/ecava_forum_2026/e/lk/k/

Due to limited capacity at the venue, we strongly recommend early registration.

Participation is free of charge, but travel and accommodation are at the participant’s own expense.

Practical information:

Dates: 23-24 June 2026 (Day 1: 14:00-17:30 followed by reception; Day 2: 09:30-17:00)
Venue: Breydel Auditoruim, Avenue d’Auderghem 45, 1000 Brussels
Language: English (no interpretation provided)
Security: All participants must present a valid photo ID at the entrance and proof of registration. Please allow 30 minutes for security checks.
Conference agenda: we’ll publish the final agenda in due course. The attached draft provides you with the highlights of the conference sessions.

Agenda:

DAY 1 | 23 June Tuesday | 14:00 – 18:00

14:00 – 14:30 Registration & Coffee

14:30 – 14:45 Opening keynote and launch of ADACities

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission

14:45 – 15:10 State of play: European Automotive Industry – Where are we now?

Impulse presentations by three external speakers, 10’ each.

Moderation: Thomas Skordas, Deputy Director-General, DG CNECT

15:10 – 16:00 Gaps in Europe: What are investment and technology gaps in the digital European automotive ecosystem?

Moderator: Thibaut Kleiner, Director, DG CONNECT

16:00 – 16:30 Coffee break

16:30 – 17:15 Opportunities for Europe: International partnerships and ecosystems

Moderator: Arian Zwegers, Deputy Head of Unit, DG CONNECT

17:15 – 18:30 Autonomous Drive Ambition Cities (ADACities): From pilot to scale

Moderator: Max Lemke, Advisor, DG CONNECT

18:30 – 20:00 Networking reception

DAY 2 | 24 June, Wednesday | 09:00 – 17:00 | Closed session

08:30 – 09:00 Coffee

09:00 – 09:15 Introductory remarks

Max Lemke / Franco Accordino, Head of Unit, DG CONNECT

09:15 – 10:15 Presentation of first ECAVA draft technology roadmaps

Working groups’ co-chairs present and discuss

10:15 – 10:45 Open discussion on roadmaps and next steps

10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break

11:15 – 12:30 EC update on the Automotive Action Plan

Panel discussion with Ms Jane Amilhat, Head of Unit, DG RTD, Mr Moumen Hamdouch, Head of Unit DG MOVE and Mr Mark Nicklas, Head of Unit DG GROW

Moderator: Max Lemke, Advisor, DG CONNECT

12:30 – 14:00 Networking lunch

14:00 – 15:30 Closed-door parallel sessions of the working groups

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee break

15:45 – 16:45 Reporting back from the working group sessions

Speaker: WG Co-chair

16:45 – 17:00 Closing remarks

Franco Accordino, Head of Unit, CNECT E4

DAY 3 | 25 June, Wednesday | 3 hour virtual session

10:00 – 13:00 Info Day to Autonomous Drive Ambition Cities (ADACities) call for expression

Veimira Nemiguentcheva – Grau, Head of Sector, CNECT E4