Discover the full programme
Speaker(s) : Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Speaker(s) : David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament
Speaker(s) : Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market
Moderator(s) : Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market
Speaker(s) : Michael Brehm, Founder and Managing Director of the AI start-up i2 | Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank | Rada Rodriguez, Orgalim President | Murray Rattana-Ngam, Managing Director, Ziegelwerk Bellenberg | Pierre Gattaz, President of BusinessEurope
Green = growth, or how European companies can champion green transition
Industry will give an essential contribution to reach our ambitious climate targets and stop climate change. By leading this transition, European companies can secure their competitiveness in traditional and emerging ecosystems, while delivering quality jobs for current and future generations of Europeans.
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Pedro Siza Vieira, Minister of State for the Economy and the Digital Transition
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Jorna Kerstin, Director General, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs | Barbara Frei, Schneider Electric, Executive Vice-President for Europe | Peter Goetz, BSH (Bosch Group), Executive Vice-President | Jacques Pelkmans, Associate Senior Fellow, CEPS | Véronique Willems, Secretary General of SMEunited | Natalia Tomiyama, co-founder, NÜWIEL
Stronger together: the Single Market as a booster for industrial ecosystems
The Single Market is the EU’s strongest asset in the transition to a greener, more digital, resilient and strategically autonomous economy. The COVID crisis has further highlighted the importance of the Single Market for the smooth operation of EU industry, across ecosystems and across borders.
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Sven Smit, Co-chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute | Martin Sandbu, European Economics Commentator for the Financial Times, economist and author of the "Economics of belonging"
Moderator(s) : Panagiotis (Pete) Chatzimichail, Board Member at European Youth Forum
Speaker(s) : Lucie Basch, Co-founder and Chief Expansion Officer, Too Good To Go | Monica Boța-Moisin, Co-Founder of the "WhyWeCraft: Cultural Sustainability in Fashion" Project | Flavio Proietti Pantosti, Project OFFICINE ITALIA, part of the EU Young Industry Leaders 2019 | Lorcan O Cathain, CEO & Co-Founder of Money254 | Ally Dragozet, CEO & Founder, Sea Going Green
We are the Next Generation EU
Young Europeans are keen to take control of their lives and engage with and support others. Yet in the current context many face uncertainties about their future, as a result of technological change, demographic trends, discrimination, social exclusion, fake news and populism with yet unknown effects on jobs, skills or the way our democracies work. With the current COVID contest, more than ever, they need to be resilient and able to adapt to these challenges. In today's interconnected world, many young people are concerned about global issues such as climate change or peace and security. Still many are able to turn these challenges into opportunities, for them and for others. They represent new, fresh thinking, and new way to do things: create business, bring added value to the society and to the planet.
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Céline Gauer, Director-General - Head of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force (RECOVER), European Commission
Speaker(s) : Sana Afouaiz, Founder & Director at Womenpreneur-Initiative
Speaker(s) : Frans Timmermans, European Commission’s Executive Vice-President
Speaker(s) : Bernd Schäfer, CEO, EIT RawMaterials | Antti Vasara, President and CEO of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and President of EARTO | Samia Nehme, Vice President Chemicals Europe and Africa, Global Excellence and Product Stewardship, Shell Chemicals Europe | Jens Lassmann, Head of Sites Department Germany, Ariane Group | Joost van Hees, Head of Global Government Affairs of ASML
Lesson learnt from COVID crisis? Resilience through increasing Europe’s strategic capacity
European industry benefits from the integration in global value chains. We need to ensure open and undistorted access to international markets and the free flow of exports and imports that our industry and citizens benefit from, but the COVID19 crisis has shown certain vulnerabilities of global value chains. Increasing resilience and ensuring the provision of goods and services can mean diversification of sourcing, stronger alliances with like-minded partners, and, in some cases, reinforcing production capacities in Europe. Investing in strategically important future technologies and infrastructures is essential to improve the resilience of our industrial ecosystems. This panel will discuss how to implement this approach in practice.
Speaker(s) : Axel Krein, Executive Director of the Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking
Moderator(s) : Anna Nikowska
Speaker(s) : André Richier, Policy Officer, DG GROW | Norbert Schoebel | Isabel Sobrino Mate, Senior Policy advisor, Ceemet | Isabelle Barthès, Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe Trade Union | Jakub Stolfa | Christine Simon, Policy Officer, European Commission, CNECT
Pact for Skills
"As part of the European Skills Agenda, the Commission launched in November 2020 the Pact for Skills, to incentivise public and private organisations to join forces and take concrete action to upskill and reskill working age people in Europe. The initiative aims to support a fair and resilient recovery and deliver on the ambitions of the EU Industrial and SME strategies and the green and digital transitions. EU funding, i.e. the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the relevant funding instruments under the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027 can support the Pact and should be fully used. This session will discuss: What is the Pact for Skills and how can you join? What will the Pact offer? How the large-scale partnerships can work? How can the networking, knowledge, guidance hub help your upskilling and reskilling efforts? "
Moderator(s) : Varik Hettel, Policy officer, European Commission
Speaker(s) : Lucas Mangiat, Your Europe Team Leader, European Commission
Single Digital Gateway
"The Single Digital Gateway aims at helping citizens and businesses to navigate the complexities of the single market thanks to easy online access to the information that citizens and businesses need to get active in another EU country. In December 2020, the Single Digital Gateway was launched under the Your Europe public interface with high-quality information on rights, rules and procedures, a number of related assistance services, usage data collection systems and user feedback tools. This session will cover what the Single Digital Gateway can do to help SMEs find new growth opportunities in the Single Market."
Moderator(s) : Manuel Mendigutia, Strategy adviser/Programme coordinator, European Innovation Council
Speaker(s) : Oana Popescu, EASME | Jean David Malo, Director European Commission – DG Research and Innovation – European Innovation Council (EIC) Task Force | Agniezska Stasiakowska, Senior business acceleration manager – European Innovation Council | Anita Krohn Traaseth, Former CEO Innovation Norway - Member of the EIC Advisory Board | Victoria Hernandez, Board member at CaixaBank Payments & Consumer - Head of the investment committee of Rising Tide Europe | Yousef Yousef, EIC Advisory Board Member and founder of LG Sonic
European Innovation Council
" Highly innovative SMEs with potential for high growth can take full advantage of partnering opportunities. Finding the right partner can generate great competitive benefits for small businesses. The European Innovation Council (EIC) stimulates strong collaboration between the innovative companies it funds and large corporates, investors, technology giants and industrial leaders to spur new partnerships and help small companies scale-up their business. Speakers from the Commission and multinational companies will cover how bridging the gap between start-ups/scale-ups and large companies can prove to be a vital strategy for business acceleration and growth."
Moderator(s) : Cillian Lohan, EESC Vice-President for Communication and EESC Member of the European Circular Economy Stakerholder Platform (ECESP)
Speaker(s) : Diego Dutto, EESC Member and Rapporteur of the opinion "Public procurement as a tool to create value and dignity in work in cleaning and facility services" | Barton Finn, Responsible for Purchaser Engagement, TCO Certified | Wyckmans Ferre, EESC Member Rapporteur of the opinion "Towards circular procurement to provide high quality goods and services" | Lobo Xavier Gonçalo, EESC Member Co-Rapporteur of the opinion "Towards circular procurement to provide high quality goods and services" | Melody Van den Acker, Facilitator Circular Economy, Vlaanderen Circulair
Circular procurement: public and private
Public procurement can be a powerful tool in the transition to a sustainable and just circular economy. The aim of this workshop is to walk policymakers and decision-makers through the circular procurement process. Our goal is to share/highlight the daily concerns and huge change in mindset for those involved in procuring. We want this workshop to help policy makers tackle the bottlenecks in legislation and we hope to give a unique insight for businesses and decision-makers on how they should transform their range of products & services to enter the circular economy. Organised by European Economic and Social Committee
Moderator(s) : Slawomir Tokarski, Director for Industrial Policy and Innovation, DG GROW, European Commission
Speaker(s) : Diego Pavia, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy | Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe | Doreen Fedrigo, Industrial Transformation Policy Coordinator, Climate Action Europe | Virginia Janssens, Managing Director of PlasticsEurope | Massimo Gasparon, Director of the European Raw Materials Alliance
Joining forces – how industrial alliances help to achieve EU policy objectives?
Industrial alliances help achieving key EU policy objectives related to green and digital transition in a given ecosystem or value chain. They bring together a wide range of partners including public and private actors and civil society. Alliances have already delivered benefit in the area of batteries and circular plastics. Building on this success, the Commission launched in 2020 the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance and the European Raw Materials Alliance. How they help to achieve EU policy objectives and at the same time create opportunities for participating companies? Tune in to this session to learn the answers.
Moderator(s) : Stefanie Sieberer, Advisor Energy and Environment Policy, EUROCHAMBRES
Speaker(s) : Didier Copin, Director Mission rev3 and Sustainable Development, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hauts-de-France, FR | Joseph Kitzweger, Director Sustainable Development Lafarge Zementwerke GmbH | Jeannette Baljeu, Member of the Executive Board of the Province of Zuid-Holland, NL, Member of the Committee of the Regions | Javier Zubia Guruceta, Director Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gipuzkoa | Michael Verdier, Project leader rev3 ecoproduction – Coordination of rev3 business support services, Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Hauts-de-France, FR
Fostering resilient regional ecosystems to decarbonise industry
For Europe‘s industry to reach climate neutrality, we need to tackle several main challenges. This session aims to identify these barriers and give a way forward for the industry to successfully lead this transition. One of these challenges is to diminish the innovation gaps from Research and Development investments to the deployment of new technologies in Industrial eco-systems.
Leveraging and exploiting the synergies between manufacturing companies and sectors in order to optimise resource and energy management on a regional level and beyond will be one of the most important drivers for decarbonisation. Increased cost efficiency and resource productivity as well as technological and process-related innovation resulting from industrial sector coupling are also particularly critical in the context of the current economic crisis. Stimulating a circular and materials efficient economy is also one of the main challenges.
Moderator(s) : Ditte Juul-Jørgensen, DG of the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission | Paula Pinho, Hoead of Unit Renewables and Energy System Integration Policy
Speaker(s) : Gunter Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Burger | Kadri Simson, Commissioner for Energy | Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director General, DG ENER, European Commission | Matthias Taft, CEO of BayWa | Angeles Santamaría, CEO of Iberdrola Spain | Paula Pinho, Head of Unit for Renewables and Energy System Integration Policy, DG ENER, European Commission | Morten Dyrholm, Global Senior VP of MarCom, Public Affairs and Sustainability | Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Global Infrastructure and Networks of Enel | Claudia Grotz, Senior Director Public Affairs Europe
Low carbon, affordable energy for industrial transformation
" Following our increased climate ambition and the need for post-Covid recovery with a strong emphasis on future proof investments, it is clear that the historic growth rate of EU’s renewable energy industry of 6% is insufficient to meet our targets. The renewable energy market will have to grow 15-20% annually to achieve the 2030 renewable energy targets, with other clean energy technologies, value chains and infrastructure needing to scale up equally quickly. Clean energy value chains have a strategic dimension for the sustainable recovery of the EU’s economy, its resilience and its strategic autonomy. Structured engagement between the industry and policy-makers and industrial alliances are necessary to tackle issues such as the identification of critical supply chain segments, the needs for critical raw materials and end-of-life management. This session will discuss the critical issues that such dialogues should address, and the policy gaps – current or future – as regards domestic and global expansion of the EU clean energy sector. It will also present the new mandate of the Clean Energy Industrial Forum."
Moderator(s) : Hemetsberger Walburga
Speaker(s) : Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG GROW | Giles Dickson, CEO, WindEurope | Frank Averdung | Patrik Moller, CEO, Corpower | Adrian Timbus, "Head of Portfolio Hitachi ABB Power Grids" | Donagh Caney, Policy Director of ocean energy Europe
Unlocking the full potential of renewables through EU industrial policy - from emerging to commercial technologies
Organiser: Ocean Energy Europe The European Green Deal is a unique opportunity to strengthen European global leadership in renewable energy technologies. A coherent industrial policy can guide the investments needed to roll out renewable energy technologies at scale and deliver a socially and economically just transition. This session will explore how forward-looking European policies focusing on R&I, trade policy, skills, infrastructure, and market scale can enable the EU to remain a global leader in renewable energy technologies.
Moderator(s) : Mila Shamku, Advocacy Coordinator at CECOP
Speaker(s) : Iñigo Albizuri Landazabal, Head of Institutional Relations at Mondragon, President of CICOPA | Ulla Engelmann, Head of Unit Advanced Technologies, Clusters and Social Economy at European Commission | Francesca Montalti, Head of Industrial Sector at Legacoop Produzione e Servizi, Member of the European Commission's Industrial Forum | Anu Puusa, Professor at the University of Eastern Finland, Board Member at Finnish Cooperative Center Pellervo | Giuseppe Guerini, President of CECOP, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee
Accelerating industrial transformation and workers’ skills development through worker cooperatives
Organiser: Mondragon Corporation The COVID-19 crisis showed the importance to maintain industrial capacity in the EU when global supply chains are disrupted. Worker coops invested in skills development, like Mondragon, have a role to play in the preservation of European industrial capacities. According to CECOP, the European Confederation of Industrial and Service Cooperatives, more than 8000 cooperatives are active in the field of industry and construction in Europe in 2019Reskilling and upskilling of workers and opportunities for lifelong learning ecosystems are key to worker cooperatives such as Mondragon and others. Policy makers and social economy enterprises should find solutions that align companies and educational centres in the development of more effective learning.
Moderator(s) : Ray Pinto, Digital Transformation Policy Director DIGITALEUROPE
Speaker(s) : Fernanda Ferreira Dias, Director-General Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition of Portugal | Alain Dedieu, Chair of DIGITALEUROPE’s Digital Manufacturing Executive Council and President Water and Wastewater segment at Schneider Electric | Francesca Tagliani, Vice-Chair of DIGITALEUROPE's Digital Manufacturing Executive Council Director Global Distributor Partnership Rockwell Automation | Rado Russev, Co-founder of Hydrolia AD | Åsa Fasth Berglund, Professor Chalmers University of Technology
Defining the potential of digital for sustainability, innovation and recovery
Organiser: DIGITALEUROPE This session will focus on key priorities for Europe to catch the new wave of industrial data. It will bring together key government actors, industry and academia to define the role of data governance and help to achieve the EU’s climate neutrality by 2050.
Speaker(s) : Tove Andersen, Executive Vice President Europe, Yara | Massimiliano Giansanti, Vice President, COPA COGECA | Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Poland | Gwenole Cozigou, Director, European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs | Sonja van Renssen, Journalist, Managing Editor of Energy Monitor | Raquel Blanco, Global Smart Mobility Director, Iberdrola
Decarbonising Industry Value Chains: Hydrogen over Ammonia to Green Agriculture Products
Organiser: Fertilizers Europe The session is expected to showcase innovative, breakthrough projects with industrial symbiosis at their core, illustrating value added for actors across the value chain as well as flagging the challenges faced by front runners and their needs to scale up. Representatives from the fertilizer and energy industries, end-customers, as well as EU and national policymakers will come together to discuss how to build a business case for a net zero world.
Speaker(s) : Roberto Viola, Director General, Communications Networks, Content & Technology
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of Center for Tax Policy and Administration, OECD | Mathieu Parenti, ECARES, Professor, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Centre for Economic Policy Research
Moderator(s) : Judith Kirton-Darling, Deputy General Secretary, industriAll Europe
Speaker(s) : Plamen Dimitrov, President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions Bulgaria (CITUB) | Agnes Jongerius | Monika Sitárová, Head of the International Department of the Metalworkers’ Trade Union OZ KOVO (Slovakia) | Luc Triangle, General Secretary, industriAll European Trade Union | Tomas Wyns, Project Researcher, Environment & Sustainable Development, Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) | Aleksandra Tomczak, Member of Cabinet of the Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, European Commission
Leaving no-one or no-region behind: addressing the challenges of industrial decarbonisation and Just Transition in Central and Eastern Europe
Organiser: industriAll The EU is committed to carbon neutrality by 2050, which has major implications for manufacturing sectors across the Continent. The EU is also committed to ensuring a just transition to carbon neutrality as laid out in the Paris Agreement and EU Green Deal. In Central and Eastern Europe, industrial transition cannot be disconnected from the deep energy transition underway. Industry in Eastern European countries is largely based on fossil fuels, the share of employment in energy-intensive sectors is particularly high, and GDP per capita comparatively lower than in other European countries. This puts the region in a different starting position from other EU regions and this needs to be taken into account when formulating EU policy. ‘One size fits all’ EU policies are unable to capture the challenges faced in the region. Policy coherence is vital between the EU’s Green Deal, revitalized industrial strategy, cohesion and regional policy, and employment and social policy. This workshop will build on a wider trade union initiative to help make sure that the EU’s COVID 19 recovery package and new budget drive a Just Transition and socially just Green Deal for all EU countries.
Moderator(s) : Daniel Michaels, Brussels Bureau Chief, Wall Street Journal
Speaker(s) : Marie Langer, CEO, EOS GmbH | Dr Hans-Martin Schneeberger, President of CECIMO and Chairman of the board of directors of Schneeberger Holding AG | Anne-Marie Sassen, Acting HoU, DG CONNECT, European Commission | Dr Thomas Schneider, Managing Director of Research and Development, TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG | Dr Christian Liedtke, Head of Strategic Alliances, KUKA AG | Elena Santiago Cid, Director General, CEN and CENELEC
From crisis to opportunity: Digital solutions for a sustainable economic recovery
Organiser: CECIMO "This session will focus on the uptake of new digital technologies and their impact on economic, social, behavioural and business opportunities, critical areas to achieve economic growth and sustainable development. It will discuss how to ensure and maximize the benefits of digital technologies for a sustainable economic recovery. The event is meant to be an exchange of views on the new business processes and models needed to speed up the uptake of disruptive technologies in the manufacturing sector. We will address the issue of cultural change and other challenges companies and their workforce face while implementing and using digital solutions."
Speaker(s) : Mel Allwood, Sustainability and Wellbeing Team Lead, Arup London | Donal O’Riain, CEO, Ecocem | Janez Potocnik, Co-chair of the UNEP International Resource Panel and Partner at SYSTEMIQ | Johanna Lehne, Senior Policy Advisor, E3G | Christophe Garnier, Global Environmental Standards Manager, Schneider Electric
Ready for the 21st century: Driving industrial innovation towards European Green Deal goals
Organiser: Climate Action Network Europe Achieving climate neutrality will need several transformational actions, from fuel switches to product and process ecodesign and new business models based on product leasing and the sharing economy. We will explore some solutions to show how they can contribute to European Green Deal objectives.
Moderator(s) : Jason Collins, Chairman, European Business Organsiations Worldwide
Speaker(s) : Nahom Abraham, Executive Director, EU Business Forum in Ethiopia | Geraldine Smeets, Director, Eurocámara Argentina | Nele Cornelis, Executive Director, European Chamber of Commerce (Singapore) | Christoph Heider, President, European Chamber of Commerce in Korea | Tim Goulain, Director, Policy & Networks, European Australian Business Council | Celestino Alavarez-Neira, Chairman of the European Business Organisation in Ghana - President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Ghana
European business & sustainability in third markets
Organiser: EBOWWN The main focus of the session will be to showcase the role of European business in delivering projects towards the green transition in global markets. The EBO Worldwide Network is an association which includes European Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils in over forty countries in all continents (except Antarctica). A panel of European Chambers from a country from each continent (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania) will present the main context for green transition policies and programmes in their market, and how European companies are delivering project to achieve these ambitions.
Speaker(s) : Anne-Marie Sassen, Acting HoU, DG CONNECT, European Commission | Matthieu Delescluse, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission | Cecile Huet, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission | Yves Paindaveine | Matthias Kuom, Policy Officer, European Commission
Digital Europe programme & Digital Innovation Hubs
"Since the Digitalising European Industry initiative in 2016, the Commission has been supporting the creation of many Digital Innovation Hubs. In 2021, the Commission, hand in hand with Member States, is further gearing up to support the digitalisation of Europe’s economy. Digital Innovation Hubs play a central and active role to ensure resilience in our industrial and economic landscapes. The heart of the session is devoted to what they offer and how the Digital Europe Programme will support them. We will explain the crucial role of European Digital Innovation Hubs for Europe’s economic recovery and resilience. The session will also introduce the Digital Europe Programme, including some of its specific elements such as Industrial Data Spaces. The goal is to exchange ideas and best practices, and learn how to become an active part of these initiatives of Europe’s digital industrial policy."
Moderator(s) : Jim Stoopman, Project Manager, China IP Helpdesk
Speaker(s) : Claire Fritz, EU HD Project Manager | Cesar Elvira, LA IP Business Advisor | Mathias Zubimendi, China IP Business Advisor | Benoit Tardy, SEA IP Business Advisor | Hana Onderková, India IP Business Advisor | Nicoletta Favaretto, LA HD Project Manager | Harrie Temmink, Deputy Head of Unit DG GROW F3 "Intellectual Property" | Léo Montesse, EU IP Business Advisor
Intellectual Property SME Helpdesks
"Good management of Intellectual Property (IP) can be at the heart of commercial success for SMEs operating at the EU level as well as internationally. The International IP SME Helpdesks, as well as the European IP Helpdesk, provide expert advice to EU SMEs, SMEs from COSME associated countries, EU multipliers, participants and candidates to EU-funded projects and EU innovation stakeholders. This session will explain how the IP Helpdesks can help manage, disseminate and valorise technologies and other IP rights and assets at the EU level. Using successful examples of Helpdesk users, we will also showcase how IP Helpdesks contribute to the internationalization of EU SMEs by ensuring they protect and enforce their IP in countries such as China, South-East Asia, India or Latin America. "
Speaker(s) : Nadine Müller | Stefana Cholakova | Vanessa Bruynooghe, Case Handler, DG COMP, European Commission | Rodrigo Peduzzi, Case Handler, DG COMP, European Commission | Fabrizio Spargoli, Economist, DG COMP, European Commission
IPCEIs policy update
"In January 2021, the European Commission approved a second Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) in the battery value chain. This highlights once again the importance of pan-European cooperation and public financing to tackle the massive innovation challenges that come with the green and digital transition. This session will explain IPCEIs as a State aid instrument. It will show that IPCEIs make it possible to bring together knowledge, expertise, financial resources and economic actors throughout the Union to overcome important market or systemic failures and societal challenges."
Moderator(s) : Bruno Liebhaberg, Director of CERRE
Speaker(s) : Alexandre de Streel, Professor of European law, University of Namur | Petr Očko, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic | Kristin Skogen Lund | Siada El Ramsy, Director Geenral of DoT Europe | Lise Fuhr, Director General of ETNO | James Waterworth, Director European Policy, Amazon | Olivia Regnier, Director European Policy, Spotify
What kind of a digital future we want
As we stand at the start of a new decade, and look ahead to that digital future, the one thing we can say for sure is that none of us knows exactly how technology is about to change our lives. That’s partly because the digital world is so innovative – and innovation is uncertain by its very nature. However, as shown by recent Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Acts, the digital future will be powerfully shaped by our own choices and actions. That includes issues such as use of data while respecting democratic access to business opportunities, research and development for digital technologies driven by a human-centric approach and social innovation.
Moderator(s) : Svenja Falk, Managing Director Accenture Research, Honorary Professor Justus - Liebig University
Speaker(s) : Hubert Tardieu, Chairman of the Board of GAIA-X | Mariane ter Veen, Lead Data Sharing and iSHARE at INNOPAY | Federico Milani, Deputy Head of Unit, Data Policy and Innovation, DG CNECT, European Commission | Christian Schiller, Co-Founder & CEO cirplus
Session - How to strengthen EU leadership on industrial data
"Europe has a wealth of industrial data. What are the right framework conditions so that these can be used to ensure that its economy remains at the forefront of industrial value creation, while respecting European values and driving sustainable development? Digitalisation is shifting value chains and business models, it is reshaping the borders of traditional industry sectors (e.g. automotive, energy). New industry coalitions that combine verticals with tech sectors emerge, but regulations and standards are hard to develop when economic relations change so fast. On the other hand, digitalisation enables the effective implementation of political agendas such as resilience and sustainability. Machine-oriented data processing enables users not only to run various diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis applications, it also can simulate energy flows and trace material flows. For a data-driven economy, digitization of product information throughout the entire product lifecycle is key to agility and efficiency of product-related processes. This session wants to discuss where we stand, what good practices for data sharing are, and what steps should be taken."
Moderator(s) : Harri Tallinn, Associate Partner at CIVITTA
Speaker(s) : Harri Tallinn, Associate Partner at CIVITTA | Mari Hanikat, CEO at Garage48 | Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG GROW | Raul Källo, CEO & Founder of Viveo Health | Tõnu Esko, Vice Director of Development and head of Estonian Biobank Innovation Center at Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, where he holds Professor Human Genomics position genomics
Session - Data 4 Healthy Recovery
Data 4 Healthy Recovery The main goal of the session will be to raise awareness on the topic and launch Data 4 Healthy Recovery Hackathon. During the Data 4 Healthy Recovery Hackathon in June 2021 participants will design the concepts and build the prototypes to solve key smart health challenges of European health care market players and make their contribution for long-term social and economic recovery.
Moderator(s) : Crabb Alison, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion
Speaker(s) : Maive Rute, Deputy Director General, European Commission, DG GROW | Ludovic Voet, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation | Paulo Azevedo, European Round Table for Industry, Chairman of Sonae | Maxime Cerutti, Director of Social Affairs department, BusinessEurope | Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources Officer, Airbus | Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG | Nicolas Schmit, Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights | François Roger, Executive Vice President for Human Resource, Renault
Session - Upskilling Europe – new solutions and partnerships
"Industry is going through an unprecedented transformation on a global scale and we are witnessing increased disparities between sectors and regions. The rapid shift towards a climate neutral Europe and digital transformation is changing the way we work, learn, take part in society and lead our everyday lives. Europe can only grasp these opportunities if its people develop the right skills. The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a profound impact on millions of people in the EU have lost their job or experienced significant income loss. Many will need to acquire new skills and move to new jobs in a different sector of economy. More will need to upskill to keep their job in a new work environment. For young people, entry in the labour market could be very challenging. To answer these challenges the Commission highlighted the importance of skills in the EU Industrial Strategy and adopted in July 2020 European Skills Agenda. A key for recovery is to increase public and private investment in upskilling the workforce to maximise job retention and new job opportunities. The Skills Agenda sets that by 2025, 120 million people should participate in training every year. The session will discuss how to address this challenge and mobilise efficiently the Recovery and Resilience Plans and the next Multi-Financial Framework (2021-2027)."
Speaker(s) : Jorna Kerstin, Director General, Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Speaker(s) : Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commission’s Executive Vice-President
Speaker(s) : Ricardo Borges de Castro, Associate Director, Head of the Europe in the World Programme at the EPC | Elena Lazarou, Acting Head of External Policies Unit, European Parliamentary Research Service
Moderator(s) : Peter Handley, Head of Unit, Energy Intensive Industries and Raw Materials, DG GROW, European Commission
Speaker(s) : Mark Rachovides, President, Euromines | Kurt Vandeputte, Senior Vice President Government Affairs, Umicore | Marie-Chantal Kaninda, Head of Corporate Affairs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Glencore | Sheila Khama, Independent consultant | Bruno Faour, Eramet
EU-Africa partnerships on sustainable raw material value chains
"The Communication ‘Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa’ adopted last March recognises the need of ‘enhanced cooperation between the EU and Africa on a responsible raw materials sector, secure and clean industrial value chains, respecting ambitious environmental and climate standards’. The action plan on critical raw materials proposes developing strategic international partnerships and associated funding to secure a diversified and sustainable supply of critical raw materials, including through undistorted trade and investment conditions, starting with pilot partnerships with Canada, interested countries in Africa and the EU’s neighbourhood in 2021. This panel will aim to mobilize the EU industry and raising its awareness on the ambition of developing strategic partnerships with a number of African countries. These partnerships will build industrial value chains’ integration between the EU and African countries and cover extraction, processing, refining and metal recycling. Partnerships aim at improving the sustainability and create value added in the raw materials sectors in Africa, as drivers for economic and social development and to deliver on the energy transition and the green economy. Outcome of the panel will build on the EU-Africa Business Forum."
Moderator(s) : Iana Dreyer, Founder and chief editor of Borderlex
Speaker(s) : Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L'Oréal | Neil Carr, President Dow Europe, Middle East, Africa & India | Denis Redonnet, Deputy Director General, DG TRADE, European Commission | Joerg Wuttke, President, EU Chamber of Commerce in China
Session - Trade in times when the global competitive landscape is fundamentally changing
"The Covid-19 pandemic has confronted economies across the world with the consequences of a globalised world with complex and integrated value-chains over several continents. It exposed the fragility of our model based on open free trade and cost efficiency. It showed how much our industries are dependent on foreign supplies, not only raw materials but also intermediate products, to manufacture their goods. Since then, there has been a strong emphasis in reinforcing the resilience of our economies by developing Europe’s open strategic autonomy. A combination of diversification of sources, development of strategic capacities, reshoring or nearshoring is advocated by European policymakers to make Europe more resilient. How does this compare with businesses’ behaviour on the markets? Do we see in practice a change of strategy and in the way companies do business? Recent surveys amongst international businesses tend to indicate that international leaders do not envisage to change significantly the organisation of their supply chains nor to reshore some of their activities to Europe. This panel will discuss how businesses see their supply chains in the near future and in the medium term and the reasons behind their strategies."
Moderator(s) : James Moran, Associate Senior Research Fellow, Think-Thank Centre for European Policy Studies – CEPS, (former Head of EU Delegation, Egypt)
Speaker(s) : Maria El Filali, Director General, Moroccan Aerospace Industries Association – GIMAS, Morocco | Heike Harmgart, Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – EBRD, Egypt | Mikheil Khidureli, CEO, Enterprise Georgia, Georgia | Roman Zinchenko, Chairman of the Board, Greencubator, Ukraine | Roman Zinchenko, Chairman of the Board, Greencubator, Ukraine
Session - Value chain integration: EU and the Neighbourhood countries
"As a response to the Covid crisis, some EU businesses are reconsidering their value chains, where some strategic products would be manufactured on the European continent and its proximity. How can we leverage our geographical and cultural proximity with the Eastern and Southern Neighbours to bring manufacturing closer, diversify and ultimately achieve greater open strategic autonomy? What would it take in terms of regulatory alignment, business environment and EU policy engagement? Improving the business environment, rule of law, and regulatory aspects on goods production has been for several years an area where the EU is encouraging the neighbourhood partners to progress – and many of which do. What more can and needs to be done? The Commission has also been working on how to strengthen the support of European foreign direct investment for SMEs in the region via European equity. Particularly on regulatory aspects, benefits from better regulatory alignment could influence the choice of investors to integrate parts of their production line from neighbouring countries. What role could alignment processes (e.g. Agreements on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products) play in this regard? While some countries are quite advanced in this process, others see more challenges for their economic and regulatory environment. What options could be leveraged to mutually benefit the relevant ecosystems?"
Speaker(s) : Patrick De Smedt, Senior Expert, EC - DG Grow | Katerina Nejdlova, Policy officer, European Commission | José Blanquez-Yeste, Policy Officer, European Commission
Single Market programme
" Endorsed by the Council in December 2020, the Single Market Programme represents a key achievement to improve the functioning of our Single Market. Bringing together activities currently financed under six different programmes, it will strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs as well as enhance the protection of consumers with a total budget of €4.2 billion. This session will present the main features and actions of the Single Market Programme, in particular its SME pillar (COSME successor). It will also provide an overview of the upcoming calls."
Moderator(s) : Astrid Bartels, Deputy Head of Unit, SME Access to Finance, European Commission GROW
Speaker(s) : Christa Karis, Deputy Director Strategy Coordination, Client Relations and Front Office Business Support, European Investment Fund
SME access to finance
" Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role to turn Europe into a digital and sustainable economy and increase its resilience. The COVID crisis has hit small businesses particularly hard. How does the EU financially support SMEs to overcome the crisis and master the twin transition? Speakers from the Commission and the European Investment Fund will present the current and future financial instruments and programmes. In particular, the session will focus on access to finance and investments through the Commission’s SME Strategy and InvestEU."
Moderator(s) : Eva Revilla penaranda, Policy officer for EU industry clusters
Speaker(s) : Valentino Izzo, Senior project officer for the European Cluster Collaboration Platform | Uwe Pfeil, Clustermanager, R-Tech GmbH | Josep Casamada, Project Manager, AEI Tèxtils
European Cluster Collaboration Platform
" Launched in 2016, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform now boasts more than 1,200 industry clusters from all over Europe. In 2021, the ECCP offers more services than ever to strengthen the European economy through collaboration. The European Resource Efficiency Knowledge Centre is an integral part of the platform, offering an essential reference point to make resource efficiency a key aspect of EU businesses’ competitiveness in their transition to a green industry. Come to this session and discover how it can help your business grow and collaborate with others."
Moderator(s) : Jennifer Baker, Master of Ceremony
Speaker(s) : Dario Traum, Head of Energy Transitions at BloombergNEF
Speaker(s) : Jean-Eric Paquet, Director General of DG RTD, European Commission
Moderator(s) : Katrina Sichel
Speaker(s) : Dirk Vansintjan, President of the European federation of citizen energy cooperatives | Emilija Stojmenova, Head of 4P Digital Innovation Hub | Mario Calderini, Professor at Politecnico di Milano, School of Management and Chair of Torino Social Impact | Bettina Schaller Bossert, Global Head of Public Affairs Adecco Group, President of the World Employment Confederation | Mikel Irujo Amezaga, Regional Minister for economic development of the Government of Navarra, Spain
People-centred industrial policy: how community economy can create opportunities for all
Inequalities across Europe caused by globalisation, technological change, the previous economic crisis or current COVID pandemic are hampering economic growth and can lead to social conflict, reducing participation in society and leading to increased social exclusion. At the same time, the industrial transformation should serve everybody: all citizens and all companies should have their share in the digital and green transition. This session will discuss various necessary ingredients and innovative tools ensuring modern equality: from skills, access to technologies and data for all, local green deals, IPR sharing etc.
Moderator(s) : Tomas Vasilevskis, Director of Lithuanian Business Representation to the EU
Speaker(s) : Vidmantas Janulevičius, President of the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists (LPK); President of BOD Group | Frederik Persson, Chairman JM AB, President of the Swedish Enterprise (SN) | Inese Stepina, Deputy Director General, Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK) | Hando Sutter, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO Eesti Energia | Maciej Witucki, Chairman Orange Polska, President of Polish Confederation Lewiatan
Regional cooperation for climate neutral, digitally advantaged and more competitive Europe
Organiser: Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists National achievements and regional cooperation aimed at climate neutral, digital and competitive economy. Focus on business realities, plans and visions in the following fields: energy market; offshore wind and solar; energy efficiency, smart distribution networks; conversion of fossil fuel-based power plants into renewable energy sources; application of advanced technology solutions and digitized energy solutions; sustainable transport and logistics; circular economy; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; R&D and innovation collaboration.
Moderator(s) : Kestutis Sadauskas, Director for Circular Economy and Green Growth at DG ENV
Speaker(s) : Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, Secretary General of Hydrogen Europe | Peter Droell, Director for Prosperity at DG RTD | Luc Triangle, General Secretary, industriAll European Trade Union | Frida Hök, Deputy Director, Chemsec | Marco Mensink, Director General, Cefic | Giles Dickson, CEO, WindEurope | Carlo Pettinelli, Director for Chemicals and Consumer Industries, DG GROW, European Commission
Moderator(s) : Esteban Palayo
Speaker(s) : Eddy van Hijum, Province Overijssel, Economy, Member of the Commitee of the Regions, rapporteur on EU SME Strategy. Chair (2021) of Vanguard Initiative | Marjolein Boezel, CEO Van Raam Reha Bikes B.V., Director DIH Boost Smart Industry | Hans Kornmann, CEO Divitel | Domenico Guida, Digital Innovation Project Manager, ART-ER S., Emilia Romagna. Lead Nanopilot VI, S3 AI HMI | Cristina Oyon, Director of Technology, Innovation, and Sustainability of the Spri-Emprendimiento,SPRI, Basque Country, member of the Industrial Forum on behalf of Vanguard Initiative, Basque Country, member of the Industrial Forum on behalf of Vanguard Initiative | Cédric Grignard
Regions in industrial transition: making digital work for SMEs in regional innovation ecosystems
Organiser: Vanguard Initiative Discuss the opportunities for digital solutions for industrial SMEs with us during this workshop and online. Regions all over Europe are key drivers in the twin transitions of greening and digitalisation to shape the future strong European industrial value Chains. We discuss the opportunities of the European Digital Strategy and the Industrial Strategy with the EC. We learn from regional examples connected in the Vanguard Initiative and Eurada.
Moderator(s) : Neil McMillan
Speaker(s) : Till Blässinger, Managing Director, Josef Blässinger GmbH + Co. KG | Ivonne Bollow, Global Director Corporate Public Policy, METRO AG | Stefan Mair, Executive Chairman and director, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik / German Institute for International and Security Affairs | Peter Kovacs, Head of Unit, DG Trade
Between competitiveness and protectionism – what does the future of European trade look like?
Organiser: EuroCommerce " The main goal of this session is to create a common understanding of the importance of free global trade and the dangers that nationalism and protectionism pose to our businesses and our society. Protectionism has grown over recent years, causing tensions with many key EU trading partners. Trade policy is increasingly used as a vehicle to export non-trade related issues such as human rights or environmental goals. At the same time, the use of EU trade defense measures has increased, and there are calls to further strengthen and expand their use. The new trade reality has a significant impact on the competitiveness of the EU, and the EU should avoid pressures to follow suit. Instead, the focus should lie on intensifying the efforts in reaching free trade agreements with like-minded countries around the world. The debate on the future of European trade will be approached from different angles by speakers representing the academic, political and economic perspectives. In a discussion between the speakers and the participants of the EU Industry Days it will be debated, if the future of European trade lies in protectionism or free trade."