The European Commission is reviewing its 2050 energy and climate roadmap. Originally aimed at delivering guidance for an 80-95% emissions reduction, the new strategy will have to take into consideration major policy and technological breakthroughs that have occurred since 2011, the year of the first strategy. These include the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aims at keeping global temperatures well below a 2°C increase. Living up to the Paris commitments would require a radical transformation across industrial sectors to happen within a limited time frame, as low carbon investment cycles on an industrial scale usually span 20-30 years. Industry will be called upon to both enable change and to adjust to it. Arguably, those who can bring to the market products and services that address the challenges will be competitive in the global marketplace. This event discussed the implications of the 2050 strategy for key industrial sectors in Europe, highlighting sector-specific challenges and how EU policies and instruments can help prepare industry for the future.

Speakers included: Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive, European Policy Centre, Tom Van Ierland, Head of Unit Strategy and Economic Assessment, Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission, Peter Handley, Head of Resource Efficiency and Raw Material Unit DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, European Commission, Tomas Wyns, Senior Researcher, Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Olga Chiappinelli, Research Associate, DIW, Martin Porter, Senior Associate, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, René Van Sloten, Executive Director for Industrial Policy, Cefic.