The Commission plans to propose the first European Climate Law in the first 100 days of its mandate. The Climate Law will set the direction of travel for EU climate action, give predictability for investors, and anchor the irreversibility of the transformation.

As an overarching piece of legislation, the Climate Law will set out the goal of all climate action – protecting people and our planet against climate change.

In this context, the Commission organised a High-level Public Conference to provide an opportunity for open, public stakeholder debate on the European Climate Law before its finalisation and adoption.

Hosted by Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, the conference brought together a broad range of stakeholders, including from business, research and civil society. The discussions and opinions will then feed into the Commission’s deliberations for the proposal for the European Climate Law.

The High-level Public Conference took place at the Charlemagne Building (Rue de la Loi 170, 1000 Brussels) on Tuesday 28 January 2019.

The conference was held in English.

The recordings of the conference can be viewed in full.
The specific sessions can be viewed from the agenda.

climate change policy | green economy | clean technology
Tuesday 28 January 2020, 08:00 - 16:30 (CET)
Brussels, Belgium
Live streaming available

Programme

28 Jan 2020, 08:00 - 09:00 (CET)
Welcome coffee and registration
09:00 - 09:30 (CET)
Opening speech: Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President, European Commission
09:30 - 11:00 (CET)
SESSION 1 - BECOMING THE WORLD’S FIRST CLIMATE-NEUTRAL CONTINENT BY 2050: BENEFITS FROM THE GREEN TRANSITION
Introductory speech: Gordan Grlić-Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia
Moderator: Mauro Petriccione, Director-General, Directorate General for Climate Action, European Commission
Panellists:
- Marco Mensink, Director General, European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic)
- Pascal Canfin, Chair of ENVI Committee, European Parliament
- Wendel Trio, Director, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe
- Alexander Canal, Secretary General, Generation Climate Europe
- Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO, SolarPower Europe
Discussion by the Panellists and Q&A with the public
11:00 - 11:30 (CET)
Coffee break
11:30 - 13:00 (CET)
SESSION 2 - CONTRIBUTION OF ALL POLICIES TO CLIMATE NEUTRALITY AND A JUST AND SOCIALLY FAIR TRANSITION
Introductory speech: Michal Kurtyka, Minister of Climate of Poland
Moderator: Céline Gauer, Deputy Secretary-General, European Commission
Panellists:
- William Todts, Executive Director, Transport & Environment (T&E)
- Eric-Mark Huitema, Director General, European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA)
- Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General, Copa Cogeca
- Monica Frassoni, President, European Alliance to Save Energy (EU-ASE)
- Ed Daniels, Executive Vice President Strategy and Portfolio, Shell
- Luca Visentini, Secretary General, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
- Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General, DigitalEurope
Discussion by the Panellists and Q&A with the public
13:00 - 14:30 (CET)
Lunch
14:30 - 16:15 (CET)
SESSION 3 - FINANCING THE TRANSITION AND TRIGGERING INVESTMENT
Introductory speech: Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President, European Commission
Moderator: Marco Buti, Head of Cabinet to Commissioner Gentiloni, European Commission
Panellists:
- Ester Asin, Director, WWF European Policy Office
- Emma Navarro, Vice-President, European Investment Bank (EIB)
- Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva, Deputy General Manager, Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
- Guntram Wolff, Director, Bruegel
- Pierre Wunsch, Governor, National Bank of Belgium
Discussion by the Panellists and Q&A with the public
16:15 - 16:45 (CET)
Closing speech: Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice President, European Commission

Practical information

When: Tuesday 28 January 2020, 08:00 - 16:30 (CET)
Where: Charlemagne Conference Centre
Charlemagne Conference Centre, Rue de la Loi 170, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Languages: English