26 September 2023
14:00*-17:00
registrations from 13:30*
Thon Hotel EU
Rue de la Loi 75, 1040 Brussels
Panel debate: Supporting EU competitiveness for green industrialisation objectives
As the Spanish EU Presidency prioritises the reindustrialisation of the EU and how to ensure open strategic autonomy, the role of sustainable value chains of manufacturing industries will be key as they provide meaningful employment, reduce continuing dependence of Europe on fossil resources and help cutting carbon emissions of other sectors. But this focus also opens new questions: How can EU sustainable industries remain competitive in the long term? How to ensure and re-build EU competitiveness while moving towards a circular bioeconomy?
TED TALK-style session: Bioeconomy talks
Through this session, we wish to highlight the already positive developments and the “real examples” of low-carbon innovations that are taking place at national level across the sector. Additionally, we wish to reflect on why it is important to keep investing in the EU and what challenges our companies might be facing to make that happen in the years to come.
With this event, Cepi wishes to facilitate an open discussion on EU competitiveness in the context of the green transition: the bottlenecks, opportunities, and solutions ahead of 2030 and beyond.
AGENDA
13:30
Welcome and registrations
14:00-14:05
Introduction
Jennifer Baker
Moderator
14:05-14:20
Opening keynote address
Alberto Ruiz
Counsellor for Industry, Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU
14:20-15:00
TED TALK-style session: Bioeconomy talks
Company representatives
Veronique Hoflack
CEO of panels division, Unilin, Belgium
Pau Vila
Director General, LC Paper, Spain
Prisca d’Oultremont
Co-Founder, Live Light, Belgium
Stefan Sundman
Vice-President of Public Affairs division, UPM, Finland
Massimiliano Spallanzani
Sales Manager, ECOBLOCKS, Italy
15:00-15:30
Coffee break
15:30-16:30
Panel debate: Supporting EU competitiveness for green industrialisation objectives
Hans Ingels
Head of Bioeconomy, Chemicals & Cosmetics Unit, DG GROW, European Commission
Ilkka Hämälä
Cepi chairman and CEO of Metsä Group
Isabel Yglesias
Head of EU Affairs and Delegate to the EU, Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE)
16:30-16:50
Discussion with the audience
16:50-17:00
Closing remarks
Jori Ringman
Cepi Director General
Circular Choices*
In March 2023, Cepi launched the Circular Choices Coalition for a competitive EU bioeconomy, which promotes the policy and market conditions necessary in the EU to scale-up the circular bioeconomy. The coalition, which is the broadest ever within the sector, brings together 14 EU trade associations that represent providers of renewable products and renewable energy solutions -wood, fibre-based, paper, products and packaging, bioenergy industries. And it is supported by a further of six trade associations that represent EU forest owners and managers.
These integrated value chains are a pillar of the EU economy. They are also key for the strategic autonomy of Europe: they are renewable and sourced, made and recycled in Europe, with European technology. Together, they directly employ more than four million Europeans, representing 520 billion euro in annual turnover. It is also a manufacturing powerhouse: one in every five manufacturing companies in Europe are in this sector.