The Agency for Communications Networks and Services of the Republic of Slovenia would like to inform the public that it participated in the Future Connectivity Summit Europe 2026 international conference and actively discussed the future of European connectivity, the development of digital infrastructure and the role of regulation in strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union.
At the main event, which brought together representatives of the European institutions, national regulators, industry and the professional public, BEREC President and Director of the Agency, Mr. Marko Mišmaš, BEREC Chairman and CEO, stressed that connectivity is no longer a sectoral issue, but a strategic pillar of European sovereignty, resilience and security in an increasingly complex global environment.
In the light of the proposal for a new Digital Network Act (DNA), he stressed that the new regime should modernise, not destabilise, the regulatory framework. He said the legislative proposal represents an important opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience and sustainability of Europe's digital ecosystem, but competitiveness must not come at the expense of effective competition in the market.
Connectivity and artificial intelligence: accelerating investment towards a gigabit Europe
In the debate on the interplay between artificial intelligence and connectivity, the BEREC Chair underlined the need to accelerate investment in advanced networks to reach the goal of full gigabit connectivity by 2030. He stressed the importance of expanding regulatory sandboxes to allow rapid testing and deployment of new technologies in a controlled environment. This approach, he said, allows innovation and advanced infrastructure to be made available more widely across Europe, rather than being limited to the largest technology centres. He also stressed the need for a clear and balanced regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, which ensures legal predictability, proportionality of obligations and encourages the development of European start-ups and growth companies.
Strengthening the security and resilience of networks
Part of the discussions focused on the security and resilience of electronic communications networks. Katja Kmet-Vrčko, Chair of the BEREC Contact Point for 2026 and Co-Chair of the Cybersecurity and Resilience Working Group, presented BEREC's activities to date in strengthening European capacity in the field of cybersecurity. She highlighted the close cooperation with the NIS Cooperation Group, ENISA and the European Commission and underlined that coordinated planning and crisis coordination are key to effective risk management. BEREC supports actions to mitigate risks in supply chains and contributes to the expert basis for future European initiatives in the area of network security.
The Agency's role in shaping Europe's digital future
In 2026, European regulators will focus on simplifying rules, harmonising and providing legal certainty to ensure that market modernisation is stable and predictable. In this way, BEREC, under the leadership of the Agency, is actively contributing to the creation of a harmonised and efficient European regulatory environment.
Participation in the Future Connectivity Summit Europe 2026 confirms that the Slovenian regulator is using its knowledge and experience to co-create strategic discussions on the future of European communications networks and to strengthen the position of the Republic of Slovenia in the European digital space.
