Meissen, 26 July – 1 August 2026
Programme as of 23 July 2026
Saturday, 25 July 2026 – Early arrival
Due to our experience with late arrivals, we offer all participants a free early arrival on Saturday 25 July. There will be self-catering and no meals will be provided except for breakfast on Sunday. The free Sunday should be used for preparation and self-study to get in the mood for the EuroSSIG. You can also arrive on Sunday by 18.00 at the latest, when the EuroSSIG will officially open with dinner at 19.00 CEST.
Sunday, 26 July 2026 – Self study and welcome day
19.00 – 20.00
Welcoming dinner
20.00 – 22.00
Opening and introduction
- Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor Emeritus and Chair of EuroSSIG
- Sandra Hoferichter, Chair of Medienstadt Leipzig e.V.
Monday, 27 July 2026 – Internet governance and geo-strategic policy
09.00 – 10.30
Internet governance and geo-strategic policy (part 1) – A holistic approach
- Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor Emeritus
presentation
10.30 – 11.00
Coffee
11.00 – 12.00
Internet governance and geo-strategic policy (part 2) – The multistakeholder model
- Intro and moderation: Wolfgang Kleinwächter
- Lea Kasper, Global Partner Digital (Civil Society)
- Janis Karklins, ICANN (Technical Community)
- Esteve Sanz, European Commission (Government) (Online)
- Michael Yakushev, former WGIG Member
- Fiona Alexander, American University Washington D.C. (Academia) (Online)
- Hartmut Glaser, cgi.br (Technical Community)
12.00 – 12.30
Q&A
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 14.30
Internet governance and geo-strategic policy (part 3) – Making global policy and the challenges that arise
- Intro and moderation: Chris Disspain, Identity Digital
- Fiona Alexander, American University, Washington D.C. (Academia) (Online)
- Brian Cimbolic, PIR (Technical Community)
- Tatiana Tropina, Internet Society (Technical Community)
- Jorge Cancio, Swiss Office of Communication – OFCOM (Government)
14.30 – 15.00
Q&A
15.00 – 16.00
Breakout sessions (1x 60 min deep dive and ask me anything with the faculty)
16.00 – 16.30
Coffee
16.30 – 17.00
Introduction to the Practicum on IGF Strategy
17.30 – 19.00
Guided city tour
19.00 – 22.00
Dinner at Burgkeller
Tuesday, 28 July 2026 – Functioning and management of the critical Internet resources
09.00 – 09.45
Interactive introduction on the functioning of critical Internet resources
- Peter Koch, DENIC
09.45 – 10.30
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
- Adam Peake, ICANN
presentation
10.30 – 11.00
Coffee
11.00 – 12.30
Root server management
- Keith Drazek, Verisign
presentation
IP address management
- Alena Muravska, RIPE NCC
presentation
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 15.00
Practicum I on IGF Strategy
- Stakeholder mapping / Vision drafting
15.00 – 16.00
The management of Top Level Domains
- Peter Koch, DENIC (presentation) and Philip Struyf, EURid (presentation) (ccTLDs)
- Chris Disspain, Identity Digital and Keith Drazek, Verisign (presentation) (gTLDs)
16.00 – 16.30
Coffee
16.30 – 18.00
Breakout sessions (2x 45 min in exchange deep dive and ask me anything with the faculty)
18.30 – 19.30
Dinner
20.00 – 22.00
Practicum II on IGF Strategy
- Mission drafting
Wednesday, 29 July 2026 – Cyber security, crime and preventing abuse
09.00 – 10.30
Cybersecurity and Cybercrime: Diplomatic dimension
- Intro: Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor Emeritus
- Tatiana Tropina, Internet Society
presentation
10.30 – 11.00
Coffee
11.00 – 12.30
CERT – Incident handling
- Michael Hausding, SWITCH / FIRST
presentation
12.30 – 13.30
Group picture at the terrace and lunch
13.30 – 14.30
DNS Abuse – Prevention, detection, disruption and defence
- Brian Cimbolic, PIR
14.30 – 15.00
Practicum III on IGF Strategy
- Values – Discussion in breakout groups
15.00 – 16.00
Blocking online content through the Domain Name System DNS
- Tatiana Tropina, Internet Society
presentation
16.00– 16.30
Coffee
16.30 – 17.30
Breakout sessions (1x 60 min deep dive and ask me anything with the faculty)
17.30 – 18.30
Practicum IV on IGF Strategy
- Values – Presentation, consolidation and agreement
18.30 – 19.30
Dinner
20.00 – 22.00
New Top-Level Domains
- Dirk Krischenowski, dotBerlin
presentation
Thursday, 30 July 2026 – Artificial intelligence and human rights
09.00 – 09.40
Artificial intelligence and geopolitics – an overview
- Wolfgang Kleinwächter, Professor Emeritus
presentation
09.40 – 10.10:
The Independent International Scientific Panel on AI of the UN, Interview with Panel Member Mennatallah El-Assady, Assistant Professor at the ETH Zürich (online)
10.10 – 11.00
Artificial intelligence and regulation – a business perspective
- Thoralf Schwanitz, Google (had to be canceled)
instead
Presentations from fellows working on AI topics and open discussion (Part I)
- Roy Ricaldi, Eindhoven University of Technology
presentation - Favour Onyedikachi Umeh, University of Malta
presentation
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee (11.30 leaving to the Dom)
12.00 – 12.30
Organ concert in the Meissen Dom
13.00 – 14.00
Lunch
14.00 – 15.00
Presentations from fellows working on AI topics and open discussion (Part II)
- Mohamad Sobhi, Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology
presentation - Fahd Maaroufi, ENSAM
presentation
15.00 – 16.00
Interactive session on Artificial intelligence and the impact on human rights
- self-organised by the fellows
16.00 – 16.30
Coffee
16.30 – 18.30
Practicum V on IGF Strategy
- Strategic Pillars, Objectives and Outcomes – Discussion in breakout groups
18.30 – 19.30
Dinner
20.00 – 22.00
Practicum VI on IGF Strategy
- Strategic Pillars, Objectives and Outcomes – Presentation, consolidation and agreement
Friday, 31 July 2026 – Outlook to emerging technologies
09.00 – 10.30
Internet governance and national jurisdiction
- Bertrand de la Chapelle, Internet and Jurisdiction
presentation
10.30 – 11.00
Coffee
11.00 – 12.30
Energy cities and urban development in the digital age
- Dagmar Everding, Architect
presentation
12.30 – 13.30
Lunch
13.30 – 14.30
Breakout sessions (1x 60 min deep dive and ask me anything with the faculty)
14.30 – 16.00
Wrap up, handover of certificates and feedback (Optional: Practicum VII)
16.00
Coffee and arrival of alumnies
18.00 – 24.00
BBQ and dance floor at the Monastery
Saturday, 1 August 2026 – 20th Anniversary Celebration
The Summer School ends here with breakfast, the following activities are part of our festivities.
We celebrate 20 years of EuroSSIG with alumnies, faculty and sponsors.
09.30 – 11.00
Keynotes and violine music
11.00 – 11.30
Coffee
11.30 – 13.00
Connect & Share with Ayesha & Sandra + Sign up for the parallel workshops
13.00 – 14.00
Lunch
14.30 – 16.00
Parallel workshops for your personal growth
Workshop 1:
Still here: Staying present in a world that never stops
- Bettina Hallifax, The Journey Presenterin und Conscious Coach
Workshop 2:
Whatever happened to the telephone? Or a short history of how the Internet changed everything
- Ole J. Jacobsen Editor and Publisher, The Internet Protocol Journal
Workshop 3:
Speaking up: How to deliver strong interventions
- Hans Seeuws, Business Operations Manager, EURid
Workshop 4:
Negotiation as a personal skill: Finding agreement when everyone has a stake
- Friedhelm Wachs, Negotiation Expert
17.00 – 24.00
Gala evening at Akti Meißen | Elbgasse 1 | 01662 Meißen
Wear your national costumes!
Sunday, 2 August 2026 – 20th Anniversary Celebration
9.00 – 12.00
Fare well brunch for all / partly departure
starting from 14.00
social and outdoor activities
evening
self organised dinner / late wine tasting at the Monastery terrace
Monday, 3 August 2026 – Departure
