Easing the energy transition for european industries, Brussels - Main contents

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About

Heads of state recently reiterated the importance of sustaining effort in refocusing and reinvigorating the European Union’s industrial policy in order to better contend with international stakeholders. In its conclusion from the 21-22 March Summit, the Council called on the European Commission to draft strategies to strengthen and deepen the single market, industrial policy and digital policy.

In light of this, Friends of Europe is offering its members a series of exclusive, off the record, roundtable debates with key policymakers, hence providing an opportunity to directly share their insights and expertise. The product of these roundtable exchanges will be a series of recommendations which will be shared with the new EU mandate in the aim to better shape the EU’s future industrial strategy in accordance with the needs of the different stakeholders.

Our ‘What the Chiefs Say’ discussions are an opportunity to engage in an exclusive, closed door discussion with a selected group of senior representatives from industry, civil society and diplomacy. These 60-minute discussions include a one-on-one exchange with the moderator, followed by an off-the-record question and answer session with our members.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

Schedule

Schedule

12.30 13.00

Registration of participants and welcome lunch

13.00 14.00

Debate Expand Debate

With a large majority of member states aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the demand for sustainable energy is set to exponentially increase in the coming decades. This transition calls for a restructuring of Europe’s supply network and a swift modernisation of member states’ energy infrastructures and its interconnectivity as set out by the Energy Union. With current market trends pointing to an increase in electricity demand, there’s also a growing need for forward-looking energy frameworks, such as those in relation to Guarantees of Origin (GO) and corporate Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

Policymakers have a key role to play in making sure that industries actively contribute to the EU’s ambition of net zero emissions by 2050. Industry leaders are calling for a better integration of Europe’s world-class environmental policies with the ambitions of the Energy Union. Additionally, immediate and sustained investment over the next investment cycle will help ensure that the EU is home to forward-thinking, green corporations.

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  What policies should be advocated by the incoming EU mandate to ensure a sufficient supply of green energy to European companies and a smooth energy transition?
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  How can EU companies remain competitive while also complying with EU 2030 renewable energy targets?

Speakers

Gwenole Cozigou

Director on Industrial Transformation and Advanced Value Chains in the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Moderator

Dharmendra Kanani

Director of Insights at Friends of Europe

14.00

End of the debate

Speakers

Speakers

Gwenole Cozigou

Director on Industrial Transformation and Advanced Value Chains in the Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

Show more information on Gwenole Cozigou

An economist by training, Gwenole Cozigou has been an official in the European Commission since 1985 in the fields of enterprise and industrial policy and of external relations. First focusing on topics related to the food industry, he moved to the service in charge of relations with Central and Eastern Europe and the USSR in 1989. Cozigou then became Assistant to the responsible Deputy Director-General at DG Enterprise and Industry. A former Deputy Head of Office for the Commissioner for Industry, Erkki Liikanen, he has occupied several management positions. Since December 2008, he has been a Director in DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), in charge of competitiveness issues and EU internal market legislation for several industrial sectors. His main responsibilities today cover the circular economy, the energy union and energy-intensive industries. He also focuses on issues involving construction, automotive industries, raw materials, engineering and maritime industries.