EU Tax Symposium 2026

Welcome and introductory remarks

• Pasquale Tridico MEP, Chair of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission

Simplifying taxation to support innovation, growth, and compliance

Session 1 - How can taxation support growth and innovation? 

Taxation can have an important role in supporting the environment for private investment. Well-designed and cost-effective tax measures can stimulate private investment in strategic areas. Additionally, a more streamlined and clear tax system can reduce complexity and support growth, which is essential to ensure Europe's long-term competitiveness.

• Jussi Saramo MEP, Member of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Jörg Kukies, Former Minister of Finance, Germany
• Scott Levine, Baker McKenzie; Former US Treasury Assistant Secretary
• Véronique Willems, Secretary-General, SME United

Moderator: Marc Lemaître, Director-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission

Session 2 - Simplifying EU tax systems to reduce compliance burdens while safeguarding revenues 

There are ongoing efforts at national and EU-level to rationalise reporting obligations, streamline rules and procedures, and increase legal certainty, with a view to reducing administrative burden in the area of taxation. Simplification must still protect fairness and safeguard revenues by preventing tax evasion and avoidance, while adapting to an evolving economic context and boosting competitiveness. 

• Rasmus Andresen MEP, Member of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Markus J. Beyrer, Director-General, Business Europe
• Ruth Kennedy, Commissioner, Revenue Commissioners, Ireland
• Tiina Tuomela, Chief Financial Officer, Fortum

Moderator: Benjamin Angel, Director for Direct Taxation, Tax Coordination, Economic Analysis and Evaluation at the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission

Keynote speech

• Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy, Productivity, Implementation and Simplification

Fair, efficient, and competitive taxation: managing expenditures and closing gaps

Session 1 - Controlling the growth of tax expenditures while preserving competitiveness and fairness 

Tax expenditures can form an important instrument to support policy objectives like innovation and investment, but if poorly controlled, they can increase tax complexity, reduce transparency, and erode revenues, harming fiscal sustainability and fairness. To strike the right balance, policymakers should review them regularly to keep incentives targeted, cost‑effective, and aligned with policy priorities, also at EU level.

• Ľudovít Ódor MEP, Member of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Sofia Berg, Fellow, Council on Economic Policies
• Pieter Hasekamp, President, Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis

Moderator: Céline Gauer, Director-General of the Reform and Investment Task Force, European Commission

Session 2 - Closing the tax gap to enhance revenue collection towards greater competitiveness 

Closing the tax gap requires measuring the size of the gaps, evaluating policy choices, such as tax exemptions and reduced rates, and boosting compliance through e.g. increased digitalisation. In order to achieve this, policymakers need to invest in tax gap estimation capacity, strengthen capacities in the areas of compliance, tax collection and recovery, and intensify EU cooperation.  

• Pierre Pimpie MEP, Member of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Eelco van der Enden, CEO, Accountancy Europe
• Ferenc Vágujhelyi, Commissioner, National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary
• Chryssa Miliou General Secretary of Tax Policy, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Greece
• Annette Alstadsæter Director, Centre for Tax Research, Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Moderator: Declan Costello, Deputy Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, European Commission

• Katarina Barley MEP, Vice-President in charge of National Parliaments
• Pasquale Tridico MEP, Chair of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General for Taxation and Customs Union, European Commission

• Makis Keravnos, Minister of Finance, Cyprus 

The continuing value of multilateral tax cooperation - What next for OECD tax work?

• Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

The EU at a crossroads between international tax cooperation and strategic autonomy in taxing digital activities 

The digitalisation of the economy has exposed a mismatch between where value is created and where profits are taxed, putting pressure on existing tax rules. To date the EU has focused its efforts on the OECD process and the Pillar 1 solution. The work of past efforts now stands at a crossroads; beyond it lies the question of how best to design an effective framework for taxing digital activities in an ever-developing environment.

• Evelyn Regner MEP, Member of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters
• Rebecca Burch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Tax Affairs, US Department of the Treasury
• Christian Kaeser, Global Head of Tax and Corporate Vice-President, Siemens
• Christoph Trautvetter, Executive Director, Tax Justice Germany

Moderator: Pascal Saint-Amans, Senior Fellow, Bruegel

From Pillar Two to a side-by-side approach: what future lies ahead after the G7/G20 agreement? 

The agreement reached on the OECD/G20 BEPS Project on a global minimum tax demonstrates the potential for coordinated global standards on fair tax competition and transparency. In a challenging geopolitical context, the agreement on a ‘side-by-side’ package represents a further significant milestone in international tax cooperation. Efforts must now focus on effectively implementing the package while keeping compliance costs to a minimum.

• Raluca Enache, Head of EU Tax Centre, KPMG
• Zorka Milin, Policy Director, FACT Coalition
• Tim Power, Chair, OECD Committee of Fiscal Affairs; Deputy Director for Business and International Tax, UK

Moderator: Francesco Saraceno, Deputy Director, Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques

The future of taxation: global fairness and growth in a new economic era  

Welcome address: Roberta Metsola MEP, President, European Parliament 

• Joseph Stiglitz, 2001 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel
• Philippe Aghion, 2025 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Moderator: Pasquale Tridico MEP, Chair of the Subcommittee on Tax Matters