Opening Networking Reception

How the Critical Raw Materials Act will impact Europe

Europe’s raw materials sector potential represents one of the biggest economic opportunities of a generation. The Critical Raw Materials Act is expected to reform the industry, strengthen the technological advantage, and allow Europe to compete globally on a level playing field. European Commission leaders outline how the Act will increase Europe’s resilience, security and in the end, benefit society.

Speakers:

• Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
• Kerstin Jorna, Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs
• Hildegard Bentele, Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats), MEP
• Bernd Schäfer, CEO, Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials
• Evangelos Mytilineos, President, Eurometaux

Mapping future supply demands

Watch leading academics, data statisticians, industry chiefs and European geological survey experts debate and calculate the amounts of minerals needed to achieve the Green Deal goals and prepare for unexpected supply disruptions.  With raw materials markets opening and others closing, understanding Europe’s true mineral potential, along with the skyrocketing industry-by-industry demands, this panel lays out the most important factors at play. Given the exponential rise in raw materials needed, how will Europe meet the demand for raw materials across all value chains?

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Speakers:

• Alessandro Blasi, Special Advisor to Executive Director, International Energy Agency
• Christophe Poinssot, Deputy CEO and Scientific Director, BRGM - The French Geological
• Ingrid Jörg, President Aerospace & Transportation, Constellium

Moderated by David Rose

Coffee Break

Rethinking raw materials import overdependency

The World Economic Forum’s 2023 global risks report highlighted the potential geopolitical tensions that could develop over the exploitation of critical minerals leading to a corrosion of global security. 
This session highlights the progress of Europe’s foreign diversification strategy and the impact of shifting global dynamics as a result of government policies like the US Inflation Re-duction Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act. This global panel will address the radical shift needed to challenge the current trade model of heavy dependency on unreliable nations, and the financial incentives needed for this to happen.

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Speakers​

• Leopoldo Rubinacci, Deputy Director General for Trade, European Commission
• Ellen Lenny-Pessagno, Global Vice President External Affairs and Sustainability, Energy Storage, Albermarle Corporation
• Frank Fannon, Managing Director, Fannon Global Advisors
• Sam Rigall, Managing Director & CEO, Sunrise Energy Metals

Lunch

Europe’s Supply Chain Potential – Lithium Case Study

This session demonstrates Europe’s immense potential regarding resources and innovation know-how.  A leading panel will examine the Lithium sector and how conditions for reaching social acceptance enable mining and raw materials extraction practices and refining to be achieved responsibly. Speakers will be interviewed on this great resource and innovation example and how it can be leveraged further.

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Speakers

• Alan Parte, Lithium Projects Vice President - Performance Minerals EMEA, Imerys
• Dirk Harbecke, Chairman, Rock Tech Lithium
• Hannu Hautala, CEO, Keliber
• Michael Schmidt, Economic Geologist & Senior Analyst, German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA) - Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR)
• Patrick D’Hugues, Scientific Program Director (Mineral Resources and Circular Economy), BRGM - The French Geological Survey

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Moderated by David Rose

Global Viewpoint on Europe’s Investment Potential

A robust European raw materials industry will require unprecedented levels of investment. Global investors are looking for new ESG-centric markets to bolster their global investment portfolios at a time of constantly shifting global dynamics. Chinese and US subsidies are deploying aggressive strategies, rolling out the red carpet to EU cleantech companies and talent. How long can Europe continue to stagnate? This panel will provide a frank assessment of Europe’s investment attractiveness, the impact of the CRMA and determine how to increase investment confidence for the vast market potential that exists.

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Speakers:

• Brian Tobin, CEO, Vice Chair, BMO Financial Group
• Felicitas Riedl, Director of the Innovation and Competitiveness department-Projects Directorate, EIB
• Hauke Burkhardt, Head of Trade & Finance, Deutsche Bank
• Stefan Müller, CEO, DGWA

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Moderated by David Rose

Coffee Break

International partnerships and opportunities lineup

In addition to boosting domestic supplies, Europe must collaborate with foreign, like-minded partners to secure its supply of critical raw materials for Europe, which means identifying joint strategic opportunities now. This multi-nation line-up of Government Officials and Geological Survey leaders will present a dynamic overview of their nations’ raw material opportunities ranging from infrastructure, investment and skills potential for European industry. Within this, speakers will issue a call for joint investment and collaboration. 

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Speakers to be revealed soon

Navigating the European energy crisis

Soaring energy prices have set back the energy-intensive industrial sectors in Europe. A panel discussion will assess the impact on European industries, smelter closures, the car-bon border tax mechanism, and how Europe can remain an attractive environment for investment. The panel will also reflect on the benefits of a domestic raw materials and chemical industry and the view of OEMs. How can Europe rebuild and sustain its industrial base, secure its supply of raw materials and advanced materials, and how does the shift towards the emerging hydrogen economy factor in?

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Speakers

• Aleksandra Cholewa, Director of Investment & Development, Luma Holding Ltd. & Governance Board Member, European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM)
• Javier Targhetta, President, Atlantic Copper
• Paul Voss, Director General, European Aluminium
• Stefan Crets, Executive Director, CSR Europe
• Victoire de Margerie, Founder & Vice Chairman, World Materials Forum

Networking, drinks and canapes

Why Europe must embrace the return of Raw Materials

For responsible mining to take off in Europe, it must provide full assurances to inspire a broader consensus of its need and role. It must also face up to the misconceptions, sensitivities and long road ahead surrounding all aspects of mining and processing. Leading communications, NGOs, and industry experts will outline from first-hand experiences the fundamental importance of social license to operate (SLO) measures and how mindful communications strategies will heighten understanding of raw materials’ contribution towards Europe’s future security, public health and prosperity.

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Speakers

• Maria Wetterstrand,  CEO, Miltton Europe
• Petr Palkovsky, President & CEO, Euro Lithium
• Ruben Shiffman, Executive Chairman, Greenland Resources

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Moderated by Mark Rachovides, President, Euromines

Building a world-leading Raw Materials Academy

Europe’s raw materials sector will require 1.2 million new jobs by 2030 in the e-mobility and renewables sectors. But Europe faces an acute skills shortage and lags behind in providing modernized education and training for the ever-expanding raw materials workforce. Experts outline the required skillsets companies should prepare for, how Europe’s education institutions view the future of the ‘skills build’ for industry, and how the new Raw Materials Academy will contribute to this as well as the novel approaches taking place that are putting Deep Tech at its core.

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Speakers

• Antonius Schröder, Social Scientist, TU Dortmund 
• Constantine Karayannopoulos, CEO, Neo Performance Materials
• David Peck, Associate Professor, TU Delft
• Jan Eggert, Head of Education, EIT RawMaterials
• Manuela Geleng, Director Jobs and Skills, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

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Moderated by David Rose

Coffee Break

Energy Transition and Raw Materials – connecting the dots

This is a pivotal moment for Europe, and the EU must reassess its own industrial strategy. The global energy crisis threatens to deal a heavy blow to industry and undermine its ability to compete globally. This discussion highlights Europe’s first energy conversion and storage action plan and explores the link to the Critical Raw Materials Act need for and why this pipeline is the single most significant opportunity for European industry. The moderator will question both the panel as well as seek out insights from Cluster 2 audience members and ask what’s next in terms of implementation of the Action Plan.

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Speakers

• Joaquim Nunes De Almeida, Director, European Comission
• Luca Noviello, Head of Procurement, Enel Green Power
• Sandra Detzer, Green MP for the constituency of Ludwigsburg, Member of the German Bundestag

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Moderated by Massimo Gasparon, Director of ERMA, EIT RawMaterials

Lunch

Circular Economy needs a radical shift

Circular Economy needs a more radical shift. End-of-life product regulation, so-called “waste”, must be considered as a resource for new product cycles, and losses and stocks of unused materials must be minimised along the entire raw materials value chains. Lost business opportunities must be re-considered to define the best circular solution from a systems point of view. The CRMs Act will provide relevant tools and actions to foster and accelerate this change from linear to circular thinking but does it go far enough?

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Speakers

• Cathérine Ricou, Chief Innovation Officer, VEOLIA
• Frank Daufenbach, Chief Strategy Officer, Umicore
• Laurent Jara, Vice President of Metallic Materials Procurement, Airbus
• Mattia Pellegrini, Head of Unit, DG Environment

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Moderated by David Rose and Eric Pirard, Université de Liège

Stories of breakthrough materials innovation

We hear from those who made it. The Innovation Community of EIT RawMaterials is one of the cornerstones of Europe’s intent to drive innovation in Critical Materials using Horizon Europe funding. Disruptive innovators present their inspiring stories on how they benefited from support in a public-private partnership and how their technology will change society. The panel comprises leaders of the European Commission, a large mining tech provider, a startup deploying disruptive cooling technology using solid rare earth coolants, and a research group developing the latest battery recycling technologies. In addition, the EIT RawMateruals 2023 Venture Forum winners will be announced and pitch their business innovations.

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Speakers to be revealed soon

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Moderated by David Rose

Coffee Break

Eastern and Southeastern Europe Spotlight

Eastern and Southeastern Europe are getting noticed. Not only is it a vibrant hub for exploration, mining, mineral and metallurgical processing of key raw materials, with opportunities in lithium, boron and other strategic and critical raw materials emerging, but it is also a region where recycling and re-use of secondary raw materials represents a great opportunity. Leading experts will discuss their views and experiences with investment projects and frameworks that are turning Eastern and Southeastern Europe’s ambitions into a serious global player.

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Speakers to be revealed soon

EU Critical Raw Materials Act and the EU Member States’ perspective

 A leading panel of EU Member States will highlight challenges, opportunities and the realities that it will take to secure EU critical raw materials supplies to implement the green and digital transitions.
Within the context of the Critical Raw Materials Act legislative package and the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan, the EU Member States panel will debate how to navigate the crisis management of CRM supplies, adopt financing instruments to support the necessary CRM investments and ensure a global level-playing field, based on ESG Standards to strengthen the resilience of Europe’s supply chains.

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Speakers to be revealed soon

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Moderated by David Rose

Conclusion and Wrap Up

Networking, drinks and Canapes