Today, 1 April 2025, BEREC will hold its annual Stakeholder Forum in Brussels, Belgium, at The EGG conference centre. This year, the programme will focus on two key topics: the rights of end users in rapidly evolving digital markets; and the regulation of market power.

The incoming BEREC Chair, Marko Mismas (AKOS, Slovenia), will kick off the conference with the Work Programme for 2026. After the presentation, the current BEREC Chair, Robert Mourik (ComReg, Ireland), will join him to address attendees’ questions regarding ongoing BEREC work and proposed work items for 2026.

Following the presentation of the Outline BEREC Work Programme 2026, Roberto Viola, Director General DG Connect (European Commission), will join the audience for a keynote address. His speech will provide valuable insights into pivotal discussions regarding the future of telecommunications and regulation in Europe.

Panel sessions speakers

The first panel session will address the major challenges of the digital market, as well as the challenge of ensuring that end-user rights are upheld in the face of rapid evolution. Discussion topics will focus on safeguarding these rights in the future. Ben Wreschner (Vodafone), Johan Keetelaar (OXERA), Claudio Texeira (BEUC), and Marina Ljubic Karanovic (Co-chair of the BEREC End Users Working Group) will feature as speakers in this panel session. Bostjan Okorn (Consumer Protection Authority of Slovenia) will be the moderator.

The second panel will feature guest speakers Ingrid Malfait Guilbaud (Iliad), Richard Feasey (CERRE), Vesna Prodnik (Telekom Slovenije), and Carla Amoroso (ANACOM, Portugal) who will explore the topic of competitive markets, with a particular emphasis on the upcoming Digital Networks Act and the future of the Significant Market Power (SMP) regime in this context. Matej Podbevsek (Cullen International) will then moderate a discussion on this future-focused topic.

The Conference will be facilitated by Philippe Defraigne (Cullen International), the main moderator of the event.

Check out the full conference programme!

Format of the Forum

BEREC will follow the traditional format of the event which includes Meet & Greet sessions throughout the morning and the conference being held in the afternoon. Meet & Greet sessions, subject to prior registration, are 30-minute-long, informal discussions that allow participants to interact with the Chairs of the BEREC Working Group. The BEREC Stakeholder Forum will continue with the conference after lunch and the event will conclude with a networking reception.

For all interested people who are not registered to attend the Stakeholder Forum in person, the conference part in the afternoon will be livestreamed on the BEREC website landing page and via our social media channels on LinkedIn and YouTube as of 14:00 CET.

About the event

The Stakeholder Forum, a major, annual telecoms sector gathering, is the BEREC’s signature event that brings together top-level experts and professionals in the field. The primary goal is to facilitate discussions and an exchange of views on relevant issues in the telecommunications sector. The forum also serves as a platform for engagement and discussion on BEREC’s work plans for the upcoming year.