Can Europe fuel its own future?

PROGRAMME 10 June 2026 Concert Noble, Brussels

CAN EUROPE FUEL ITS OWN FUTURE? Domestic Fuel & Products for a Competitive European Economy

Moderator: Zoya Sheftalovich, Chief EU Correspondent & Brussels Playbook Podcast Host Politico 08:30 - 9:00 Registrations 09:00 - 09:25 Opening remarks: The Future We Make Luis Cabra, President of FuelsEurope Liana Gouta, Director General of FuelsEurope Apostolos Tzitzikostas, European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism 09:25 - 10:30 Session I Together We Secure Europe’s Supply: Why fuel manufacturing is a strategic asset Introductory remarks, Elena Donazzan, Vice Chair ITRE (ECR) This session presents fuel manufacturing capacity as a strategic asset within the EU’s evolving security architecture.

Against the backdrop of geopolitical instability and increasing focus on economic security (notably across Commission priorities and European Council conclusions), the discussion will examine the risks associated with premature decline of domestic capacity.

Speakers will reflect on how fuel manufacturing underpins defence readiness, industrial resilience, and the functioning of critical sectors.

The conversation will also address the growing tension between decarbonisation objectives and security of supply imperatives, highlighting where EU policy may be creating unintended strategic vulnerabilities. Umberto Carrara, CEO Eni Industrial Evolution Arnd Franz, CEO MAHLE Glenn Schmidt, Vice-President Sustainability BMW High-level representative from TotalEnergies (Chemicals) Farid Trad, Vice President Bunkering & Energy Transition CMA CGM (invited) 10:30 - 11:00 Break 11:00 - 12:15 Session II Together We Create Value: Why Europe’s critical industrial ecosystems rely on fuel manufacturing This session shifts the focus to the systemic role of fuel manufacturing across Europe’s industrial ecosystem.

Bringing together cross-sectoral voices, it will explore the deep interdependencies between fuels and key value chains such as transport, chemicals, agriculture, and heavy industry.

The discussion will highlight how capacity erosion in one segment can cascade across multiple sectors, raising questions for EU industrial policy coherence, particularly in the context of the Clean Industrial Deal and sectoral legislation. Particular attention will be paid to how policymakers in the Commission and Council are (or are not) accounting for these interlinkages in current regulatory frameworks.

Elli Tsiforou, Secretary General COPA COGECA Marc Billiet, Associate Director IRU Antoine Hoxha, Director General FertilizersEurope Ourania Georgoutsakou, Director General A4E Sotiris Raptis, Secretary General ECSA Alessandro Bartelloni, Director FuelsEurope 12:15 - 13:30 Lunch Break & Networking 13:30 - 13:40 Video & Start of Afternoon Panels Alessandro Bartelloni, Director FuelsEurope 13:40- 14:00 In Conversation with Radmila Shekerinska, Deputy Secretary General NATO 14:00 - 15:00 Session III Together We Compete Globally: Why Other Regions Matter This evidence-led session will assess Europe as a location for fuel manufacturing in a global investment landscape.

Drawing on economic analysis and international comparisons, it will examine how EU framework conditions – energy costs, carbon pricing, regulatory burden – are shaping capital allocation decisions. The discussion will connect directly to ongoing debates within the Commission on competitiveness and industrial policy, as well as to Parliament’s scrutiny role.

The objective is to understand and clarify the diverging views that current EU policies are enabling or constraining the retention and transformation of industrial capacity within Europe.

Renée van Heusden, Head, Oil & Gas Industry World Economic Forum Sean Metcalfe, Senior Economist Oxford Economics Gerard Ostheimer, CEO Molecule Group 15:00 - 16:00 Session IV Together We Unlock Investment: What industry needs from policymakers to invest in Europe This session will bring together industry CEOs and institutional representatives to examine what is needed to unlock investment in Europe’s industrial base and enable the transformation of existing assets.

Building on the previous sessions, the discussion will focus on the regulatory, financial, and market conditions that companies need in order to commit capital in the EU, including for low-carbon and renewable fuel production. CEOs will share what they see as the most important signals from policymakers: regulatory predictability, technology openness, permitting certainty, access to affordable energy, and a framework that recognises the realities of long-term industrial investment.

Representatives of the Institutions will be invited to react on how they can support investment and Europe’s industrial competitiveness while safeguarding the transition objectives. The session will aim to identify where policy adjustments, simplification, or clearer prioritisation may be needed to make investment in Europe viable at scale.

Markku Korvenranta, Executive Vice-President and COO Neste Charles Amyot, CEO North Atlantic Energies Magnus Heimberg, Deputy CEO VaroPreem Niels Hansen, CEO H&R Zala Tomašič, MEP (EPP) Member of the European Parliament 16:00 - 16:30 Break 16:30 - 17:30 Session V Together We Protect Europe’s Security of Supply: How we can shape a resilient Europe Building on the discussion in Session IV, this final session will bring together industry CEOs and institutional representatives to examine the broader strategic consequences of today’s investment environment.

The focus will be on how insufficient investment, delayed transformation, or the loss of domestic capacity could expose the EU and its Member States to future security of supply risks.

The debate will explore how Europe’s ability to retain and transform industrial assets is directly linked to resilience in times of geopolitical instability, supply disruptions, and market volatility.

Participants will discuss the extent to which fragmented policy signals, weak investment conditions, or over-reliance on imports could undermine the EU’s strategic autonomy and create new vulnerabilities for critical sectors and consumers alike.

The session will close by reflecting on what kind of partnership between industry and Institutions is needed to preserve a competitive European production base and secure long-term supply resilience.

Juan Abascal, Executive Managing Director of Industrial Transformation and Circular Economy and member of the Executive Committee Repsol Alice Wells, Executive Vice President for Europe ExxonMobil High-level representative from Orlen Adina Vălean, MEP (EPP) (invited) Member State Representative 17:30 - 17:45 Concluding Remarks Luis Cabra, President FuelsEurope 17:45 - 19:00 Cocktail reception