Europe is facing a strategic realignment. Resilient and sovereign infrastructure has become a basic prerequisite for economic stability. That was exactly the focus of the German-Finnish Business Forum 2026 in Munich. The AHK Finland (German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce) brought together leading figures from business and politics to discuss concrete solutions for a future-proof energy and digital infrastructure.
Gofore was represented on the panel by Kevin Wennemuth, Head of Cybersecurity, on the subject “Does Europe Still Control Its Own Digital Infrastructure?”.
By 2036, Germany will provide a total of €500 billion for infrastructure and climate protection, while also investing in defense and cyber capabilities. Finnish companies bring proven expertise in digitalization, smart grids, and resilient energy systems. The forum brought these complementary strengths together, showcased market-ready solutions, and kicked off concrete partnerships.
A Strong Start
The forum was opened with welcome addresses from Finland’s Minister of Energy and the Environment, Sari Multala, the Head of Department at the Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs, Dr. Hans Michael Strepp, IHK Vice President Prof. Dagmar Schuller, and AHK President Dirk Hofmann. The day centered on sovereign digital and energy infrastructure, with keynotes, company case studies, and panel discussions. Around 50 B2B meetings were booked for the first day of the forum alone.
Panel: Does Europe Still Control Its Own Digital Infrastructure?
The first substantive item on the day’s program raised the question: “Does Europe Still Control Its Own Digital Infrastructure?” The panelists were:
- Eleftherios Papadopoulos, Nokia
- Alexander Britz, Microsoft
- Risto Rajala, FISC – Finnish Information Security Cluster
- Dr. Hans Michael Strepp, Bavarian State Ministry for Digital Affairs
- Kati Nyman, Elisa
- Kevin Wennemuth, Gofore
The perspectives ranged from network infrastructure and cloud providers to cybersecurity networks and public administration, which made the discussion so valuable.
Sovereignty Doesn’t Mean Isolation
The panel addressed Europe’s digital sovereignty, critical dependencies, and the resilience of the infrastructure that society and the economy rely on every day.
The key takeaway: Europe does not have to develop everything itself. What matters is its ability to:
- understand and actively manage dependencies,
- make sovereign decisions, and
- ensure the long-term security and availability of critical services.
This applies to digital infrastructure as much as to energy supply. Freedom of choice, diversification, and the ability to manage risks consciously matter more than isolation. The benefits of international cooperation must not be lost from view.
Our Perspective: Value-based Cybersecurity
Representing Gofore, Kevin Wennemuth offered a pragmatic perspective that clearly resonated with the audience. His key message: Human values-based cybersecurity is key to Europe.
Shared values create shared motivation, which in turn provides the foundation for collective impact. Cybersecurity must go beyond declarations of intent and combative rhetoric. We need tangible results.
Resilience and the Circular Economy Belong Together
Even beyond the digital sphere, the forum demonstrated just how closely these topics are interlinked. In a separate programme on resilience and the circular economy, participants discussed companies that make intelligent use of resources and build sustainable value chains, thereby reaping both environmental and economic benefits. At the same time, they are becoming more resilient in an increasingly volatile environment.
Many of Europe’s future topics benefit from German-Finnish cooperation: resilient energy systems, digitalization, industrial scaling, and quantum technologies. Europe’s sovereignty requires technology openness, reliable framework conditions, and above all, trust.
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