WEDNESDAY 17 MAY 2023
Sustainability in Energy: Powering sustainable economic growth

08:30 – 09:00 | Registration

 09:00 – 09:30 | Opening keynote 

09:30 – 10:30 | Panel discussion
Energy sector in CEE countries: a bleak or a promising future?

CEE countries have been hit hard by the energy crisis. Questions about the best path forward for energy transition have proven to be divisive and difficult. This session will explore whether CEE countries face a promising, bright future when it comes to energy sector, and what is required to make this a reality – or, alternatively, is the CEE region on a path to a bleak future.

• What energy source combination would be best suited to the CEE region’s needs, and which one is the most feasible?

• Does Europe need nuclear for the energy transition to work?

• Can green hydrogen be a solution?

• What would speed up the diversification away from coal and gas?

 10:30 – 11:10 | Coffee break

11:10 – 11:30 | Elevator speeches

11:30 – 12:30 | Panel discussion
Energy transition: managing the socio-economic impacts

An increasing number of important private and public sector actors agree on the need for an energy transition across Europe. However, much less attention is getting paid to the socio-economic impacts of the energy transition, and the risks of energy poverty across different regions. To avoid a political and societal backlash, it will be absolutely paramount to ensure that the transition is carried out in a way that is as socially and economically fair as possible.

12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch & meet the speakers

13:30 – 14:30 | Panel discussion
Scaling up renewable energy solutions

To scale up renewable energy sources and usage, major investments and policy coordination is necessary. With the war in Ukraine, the urgency for an energy transition has become a lot more apparent, and so is the need for action. Yet European countries struggle to rapidly scale up renewable energy sources (RES) and to change policies and incentives that would enable more capital flowing to RES or clean energy companies.

• What needs to change in the CEE region and wider Europe to expand RES?

• Which actors could and should do more?

• What are the different financing mechanisms and solutions for renewable energy projects and scaling up?

• What are the most successful examples of scaling up renewable energy in Europe?

• What is the role of the European Commission, and what can it do to help Member States transition?

• What role can the private sector and private finance play – and what are the necessary enablers to leverage their power?

14:30-15:10 | Coffee break

15:10-15:30 | TED-style speeches

15:30 – 16:30 | Panel discussion
Industry: unleashing the power of company decarbonisation

Several CEE countries face a major challenge when it comes to the decarbonisation of heavy industry. At the same time, industry players in the CEE region have remained quite passive and the conversations about industrial decarbonisation have been under-developed.  From steel and cement production, to chemicals and automotive sectors, industrial processes will need to find a way to drive down their emissions.

More information on the event, speakers and partners can be found on the event website.