Why Europe's catch-up race begins on the mountain

Enery is organizing a unique event called the "Hike" as part of the Forum Alpbach, centered on the theme "Europe's Race for Energy Competitiveness and Resilience." Scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the event will take place from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM, moving participants from the Congress Centrum Alpbach into nature for a discussion on the future of Europe's energy sector.

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Conference rooms have their justification for retreats and strategic discussions behind closed doors. But new perspectives usually open up where you leave the four walls and go into nature.

The core objective of the Hike is to facilitate an open dialogue about critical issues facing Europe's energy future. Topics will include the expansion of renewable energy sources, the development of necessary grid infrastructure, ensuring affordable energy prices, securing supply chains, and the effectiveness of financing models. The discussion will also delve into the challenges posed by regulatory hurdles and examine whether Europe's financial systems are adequately equipped to foster long-term industrial resilience or if they inadvertently impede it.

Key experts participating in the discussion include Richard König, Co-Founder and CEO of Enery; Gudrun Senk, CTO of Wiener Linien; Marina Kobakova, Country Manager for ING Bulgaria and Austria; Lukas Stühlinger, founder of FINGREEN; Walter Kreisel, founder of neoom; and Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Austria. These individuals represent diverse sectors within the energy and finance industries, promising a multifaceted perspective on the challenges and opportunities ahead.

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Europe's energy future hangs by a thread that has not yet been sufficiently developed: the expansion of renewable energies and grid infrastructure, affordable energy, secure supply chains, and efficient financing decide victory or defeat in global competition.

The event is framed as an opportunity for engaged individuals, whether deeply rooted in the energy industry or from innovative backgrounds in other sectors, to contribute to shaping Europe's energy future. The organizers emphasize the Forum Alpbach's spirit of discourse, encouraging participants to hike, debate, and think outside the box. In case of heavy rain, the discussions will be moved indoors to a local primary school classroom, a location chosen to symbolize the need for rethinking the fundamental aspects of the energy economy.

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On the Hike, we will discuss (in English) openly about the dismantling of regulatory hurdles and the question of whether Europe's financial systems enable industrial resilience in the long term - or rather restrict it.