21/05/2026
was packed with two days of conversations about the role of climate action in a new political reality. Let’s take a look at day two of the conference 👇
How to anchor Net-Zero in a sovereign European economy? 🏭 In her keynote, economist Elisabetta Cornago from Centre for European Reform analysed how Europe can use cleantech to its advantage. These five key ingredients are indispensable for her:
- strong European demand for green technologies,
- expanded European cleantech production,
- targeted investments using carbon tax revenues,
- trade strategies protecting European markets,
- and energy policy incentivising renewable, electric solutions.
On the panel, she discussed with Birgit Schwenk from the BMUKN, Marek Tiits from Balti Uuringute Instituut and Chris Heron from E-Mobility Europe about how Europe could embed climate neutrality in a coherent industrial strategy. 🤝
Policy frameworks like the Clean Industrial Deal Europe advance the European green transition but are not enough, the panelists agreed. Within the EU, manufacturing sectors face substantial restructuring and require just transition mechanisms. A fragmented global order intensifies global competition. Focusing on Europe’s reliability and applying targeted policy and investments could strengthen its sovereign industry.
Another valuable accelerator for the green transition is the EUKI community, as Birgit Schwenk put it: EUKI projects create and share best practices for climate solutions. They work hand in hand with communities that European policymakers struggle to reach. Policymakers profit from the work, data and knowledge of EUKI projects. 🌱💡
✍️ In workshops, the participants exchanged about practical solutions - from circular behaviour in cities and CCS in Central and Eastern Europe to peatland futures and the path beyond natural gas.
These two days demonstrated the strength of the EUKI community and made visible how EUKI projects create concrete impact. Keep up your great work!
We want to say thank you, to the panelists, speakers, workshop facilitators, to all the committed participants, to Marianna Evenstein for her great moderation, and to the whole event team!
Bundesumweltministerium EUREF-Campus Centre for European Reform Balti Uuringute Instituut Energy Policy Group CEEweb for Biodiversity Eurosite - the European Land Conservation Network, Michael Succow Stiftung Center for the Study of Democracy Young Energy Europe
