Berlin Security Conference 2026

The Berlin Security Conference is a congress and exhibition on European security and defence policy, held every autumn in Berlin since 2001. The 25th edition gathers members of parliament, ministers, ambassadors, generals and admirals, representatives of the EU institutions and NATO, and leaders of the defence industry for two days of keynotes, high-level debates and panels. Lithuania is the partner nation for 2026.

Programme

About 140 high-level speakers from politics, the military and business take part, and 17 panel sessions run in parallel tracks on each afternoon. The 2026 programme opens with Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausėda and features debates on deterring Russian interference, credible engagement in the South, Europe and NATO, European capability development and Europe's Indo-Pacific priorities.

• Fighting Russian intrusion and credible defence
• EU and NATO deterrence and defence synchronisation
• Multi-domain operations and hybrid warfare
• Unmanned systems, AI and software-defined defence
• Procurement, interoperability and critical infrastructure protection
• Resilience and total defence

Exhibition and start-ups

Alongside the congress, an exhibition presents international companies and leading manufacturers of system solutions. A BSC Start-up Challenge, sponsored by PwC, runs on both days and ends with a winner's pitch on the main stage, and side events cover topics such as the military reserve and drones.

Who attends

Members of national parliaments and the European Parliament, foreign and defence ministers, ambassadors, senior military officers, security organisations, the European institutions, NATO and defence industry executives. Coffee, lunch and a dinner buffet are included for participants.

Tickets & passes

• Parliament / embassy staff — Free: Free for members of parliament and embassy staff; limited seats
• Government, armed forces and civil service — EUR 120: Excl. tax
• Students — EUR 50: Excl. tax; student card required; limited seats
• Other participants — EUR 3,500: Excl. tax