IFIEC Forum 2026 Powering Competitive Industry Through Europe's Energy Transition

On behalf of the International Federation of Industrial Energy Consumers (IFIEC) and Business & Science Poland (BSP), we would like to invite you to attend the annual IFIEC Forum 2026 „Powering Competitive Industry Through Europe’s Energy Transition” that will take place in Brussels on 8 December 2026 (Tuesday) at the BSP Office, Rue Belliard 40, and will start at 9am-5pm, followed by a cocktail reception.

REGISTRATION

During the event, invited high-level speakers will focus on the topic of ensuring how the European industry can remain competitive while going through the Europe’s Energy Transition. The keynotes speeches, delivered by high-level representatives of EU institutions, EU energy regulators and the industry will be followed by in-depth sessions focusing on the following topics:

• Electricity costs and competitiveness - How can we restore competitiveness of EII via minimisation of all electricity costs components: commodity, infrastructure, taxes and surcharges? What are the first results of the recently adopted Grids Package in contribution towards creating liquid markets for electricity? What are the effective solutions, both at EU and Member States levels, to avoid increasing grid costs affecting the competitive position of EII?
• Gas Market functioning & Security of Supply - How can gas markets provide competitively priced products for EII? How can Security of Supply of natural gas be strengthened without imposing unbearable costs for EII? What needs to be done to develop markets for decarbonised hydrogen and what role should low-carbon hydrogen play?
• Development of the Hydrogen market in Europe : Are Hydrogen political ambitions realistic? What are the key regulatory steps to unlock industrial Hydrogen offtake and ensure bankable business cases for clean Hydrogen? How can demand-side support be encouraged?
• European Industry Transition - What needs to be done to accelerate the industry transition in Europe and stop de-industrialisation? How can the revised EU ETS strengthen the industry in Europe and its transition and avoid carbon leakage? What is the role of CC(U)S and what needs to be done to make it an effective instrument of industrial decarbonisation?

AGENDA

9:00 Registration & coffee / networking

9:30 WELCOME by Bartek Czyczerski, CEO of Business & Science Poland

9:40 WELCOME by Hans Grünfeld, President of IFIEC Europe

9:45 Marco Mensink, Director General, CEFIC

How can the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) effectively contribute to the resilience, welfare and sustainable future of Europe?

10:15 KEYNOTE: Representative of the Polish Forum of Energy and Gas consumers (FOEEIG)

10:45 SESSION I: Electricity costs and competitiveness

How can we restore competitiveness of EII via minimisation of all electricity costs components: commodity, infrastructure, taxes and surcharges? What are the first results of the recently adopted Grids Package in contribution towards creating liquid markets for electricity? What are the effective solutions, both at EU and Member States levels, to avoid increasing grid costs affecting the competitive position of EII?

Moderator: Nicolai Romanowski, Senior Energy Manager, CEFIC

• Polish Forum of Energy and Gas consumers (FOEEIG)
• ACER: Ms Christine Brantl, Head of Strategy
• DG ENER: Mathilde Lallemand, Team Leader Electricity market
• ENTSO-E: Sonya Twohig, Secretary General
• Bellona: Guillermo Ramo, Senior Policy Manager, Energy Systems
• IFIEC: Peter Claes, Chair of Working Party Electricity

11:45 KEYNOTE speaker: Céline Gauer, EC – Director General, DG ENER

How can the Commission, and DG ENER in particular, ensure competitive energy systems for Energy Intensive Industries (EII) and remove barriers for the acceleration of the industrial transition in Europe?

12:15 Q&A session

12:30 Lunch & networking

13:45 SESSION II: Gas Market functioning & Security of Supply:

How can gas markets provide competitively priced products for EII? How can Security of Supply of natural gas be strengthened without imposing unbearable costs for EII? What needs to be done to develop markets for decarbonised gases? What are the practical solutions to the challenges linked to decreased utilisation rate of gas infrastructure?

Moderator: Nicolai Romanowski, Senior Energy Manager, CEFIC

• Cabinet Stéphane Séjourné: Ms Laia Pinos Mataro, Energy, Climate (TBC)
• CEER: Bram Claeys – Secretary General
• ETE: Mark Copley, CEO
• ENTSOG: Piotr Kuś, General Director
• IFIEC: Hans Grünfeld, President

14:30 SESSION III: Development of the Hydrogen market in Europe

Are Hydrogen political ambitions realistic? What are the key regulatory steps to unlock industrial hydrogen offtake and ensure bankable business cases for clean Hydrogen? How can demand-side support be encouraged?

Moderator: Marion Revest, T&E, Hydrogen Policy Officer

ENGIE: Rose de Lannoy, Manager Public Affairs, Hydrogen

IFIEC: Yngvild Tormodsgard, Chair of Working Party Gases

ENNOH: Abel Enríquez, Director

15:00 KEYNOTE speaker: Jan Dusik, EC - DG CLIMA

Accelerating the Clean Transition for Industry: which policy initiatives are required to keep the transition on track while restoring competitiveness?

15:30 Q&A session

15:45 SESSION IV: European Industry Transition:

What needs to be done to accelerate the industry transition in Europe and stop de-industrialisation? How can the revised EU ETS strengthen the industry in Europe and its transition and avoid carbon leakage? What is the role of CC(U)S and what needs to be done to make it an effective instrument of industrial decarbonisation?

Moderator: Magdalena Vallebona, Climate & Energy Policy Director, Cerame-Unie

• EC: DG CLIMA: Jan Dusik, Deputy Director General
• MEP Borys Budka, chair of ITRE Committee
• KGHM Polska Miedź S.A: Karolina Kuś, EU & Public Affairs Advisor
• CCSA: Stefano Miriello, EU Deputy Director
• Carbon Market Watch: Sabine Frank, Executive Director (TBC)
• IFIEC: Saartje Swinnen, Chair of Working Party Climate-Energy Efficiency

16:45 Wrap-up and way forward by Hans Grünfeld, President of IFIEC Europe

17:00 Reception & networking.

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