On 2 July 2026, the European Commission and PPMI | Part of the Verian Group hosted the online expert roundtable "Opportunities for Europe in the Web 4.0 and Agentic AI Era". The event brought together stakeholders from across Europe representing academia, industry, standards organisations, civil society and the technical community to exchange perspectives on the technological and governance challenges emerging with the transition towards Web 4.0.
The roundtable explored how the rise of AI agents is reshaping the future internet and what this means for trust, governance and Europe's strategic position in the evolving digital landscape. Discussions were held under the Chatham House Rule to encourage an open exchange of views.
We thank all participants for their valuable contributions throughout the discussions.
The discussion focused on three interconnected themes:
- Internet infrastructure for the age of AI agents, including trusted delegation mechanisms, machine-to-machine interactions and the technological foundations needed to support autonomous systems;
- Trust, governance and security, examining transparency, accountability, auditability and governance approaches for increasingly autonomous digital ecosystems;
- Europe's strategic opportunities, exploring the role of open standards, interoperability, resilient infrastructure and international cooperation in shaping an open, secure and competitive Web 4.0 ecosystem.
The insights gathered during the roundtable will contribute to the final outputs of the WEB4HUB project and support the development of recommendations on the future governance of Web 4.0 and virtual worlds.
The discussion summary is available for download below.
ACCESS THE DISCUSSION SUMMARY HERE
The roundtable took place in the context of the pilot project "A Space for the Metaverse – Virtual World and the Transition to Web 4.0", led by PPMI | Part of the Verian Group for DG CNECT. The project examines technological developments relevant to Web 4.0 and virtual worlds and supports a multistakeholder dialogue on their future governance.
Expressions of interest for participation in the upcoming WEB4HUB Final Workshop are now open. You can submit your expression of interest via the following form:
