In this Euractiv Thought Leadership Interview, journalist Dave Keating sits down with Javier Silva, Head of Sustainability and Community Relations at SQM, one of the world’s largest lithium producers. Javier discusses Chile's pivotal role in the global lithium supply, the unique challenges of operating in the Atacama Desert, and SQM’s evolving approach to sustainability and social responsibility.

The conversation dives deep into:
- How lithium is extracted sustainably from the Salar de Atacama
- SQM’s community outreach efforts and long-term partnerships with indigenous communities
- Addressing water use and environmental concerns in one of the driest places on Earth
- Empowering indigenous women through the AMA project
- Building trust, transparency, and international cooperation with the EU
- Planning for a future beyond mining for local communities

Javier emphasizes the importance of genuine relationships, co-created programs, and respectful engagement, offering a compelling look at how the future of clean energy must also be socially and ethically responsible.

In this podcast episode, part of our Project EUYou, Euractiv's host Christoph Schwaiger speaks with Dr. László Andor, former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (2010-2014) and Secretary General of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies. They explore Hungary’s complex relationship with EU cohesion funds, the impact of rule of law concerns on funding access, and how political shifts - like a potential government change - could reshape Hungary's future within the EU. From suspended investments to broader implications for democracy and economic growth, the discussion highlights what's at stake for both Hungary and the European Union.

Europe’s bioeconomy transforms renewable resources—such as agricultural products, forests, seas, residues, and waste—into food, feed, materials, and energy.

The European Commission is preparing a new Bioeconomy Strategy, set for adoption by the end of 2025, to boost innovation and strengthen Europe’s bioeconomy. The strategy is expected to outline measures that will help bring bioeconomy innovations to market, creating new opportunities for green jobs and sustainable economic development.

A key focus of the strategy will be enhancing circularity and sustainability while supporting the EU’s broader decarbonisation efforts. It will establish the necessary framework conditions to support bioeconomy startups, entrepreneurs, and new business models, ensuring they can thrive in a competitive market.

By aligning with major EU initiatives such as the Competitiveness Compass and the Clean Industrial Deal, the strategy will harness the potential of the bioeconomy to support European businesses and advance the EU’s environmental, climate, and competitiveness goals.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the upcoming Bioeconomy Strategy, its potential to drive sustainable economic growth, support innovation, and strengthen Europe’s green transition. Some questions to discuss include:

- What policy measures are needed to accelerate bioeconomy innovation?
- How can the strategy help businesses scale up and compete globally?
- What gaps and challenges should be addressed to unlock the full potential of Europe’s bioeconomy?

In its 2019 Green Deal, the EU emphasised the importance of domestic electric vehicle (EV) battery production to achieve the energy transition while fostering a competitive and sustainable battery value chain. The goal is to scale up domestic EV battery production and establish a fully integrated value chain within the EU. While significant progress has been made, the reality today shows that the EU is still far from fully achieving these objectives.

The 2024 Draghi Report, along with the European Commission’s newly introduced Competitiveness Compass for the EU, highlights key challenges facing Europe’s sustainable growth and global competitiveness. These include slower productivity growth compared to other regions and the disruptive impact of emerging technologies. The report identifies three key areas for action: closing the innovation gap, advancing a competitive decarbonisation strategy, and enhancing security by reducing external dependencies.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to explore the challenges facing the EU’s battery raw materials industry. Questions to be addressed include:

- What is the current state of industries supplying critical raw materials, such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel, for the EV battery value chain?
- Does the European Commission’s Competitiveness Compass effectively address the industry's concerns? Where do the major challenges lie?
- What actions are needed to build a robust and resilient EU battery raw materials industry?
- What measures can be taken to ensure sustainable domestic raw material production and recycling while expanding capacities to meet growing demand?

Listen to this podcast, which discusses the implementation of the Energy Efficiency First principle - the idea of ensuring that energy efficiency solutions are considered in planning, policy, and investment. In particular, in this podcast we look at the cases of Italy and Greece.

This high-level policy debate will convene key actors to discuss the critical role of research and innovation in helping to drive Europe’s green transition and enhancing its competitiveness, resilience and strategic autonomy. The dialogue will cover a range of topics, including the fostering of green startups and scaleups, effective measures to combat green disinformation and its erosion of public trust and sound policy making, and the strategic importance of green and blue diplomacy in addressing global environmental and security challenges. Discussions on these topics are timely as the negotiations on the next EU’s long-term budget plan are starting up.

By bringing diverse perspectives to the table, this policy debate aims to stimulate forward-thinking dialogue on how Europe can accelerate the transition to a resilient, competitive, and secure green economy. Speakers will look at the role of R&I as an enabler of the green transition and explore how its policy, economic and societal impact can accelerate in the coming years. We invite you to join this timely conversation and contribute to shaping the future of EU research and innovation for sustainable prosperity.

This policy dialogue will set the scene for the full-day "R&I for a Competitive Green Transition" conference, organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, on 24 June 2025 in Brussels. Topics introduced in this policy dialogue session will be explored in more depth during this conference, which is a satellite event of the European Research and Innovation Days.

More information and registrations for the conference: Events | The research and innovation community platform

Transformative Power of Investment: Unlocking Opportunities Across European Regions will focus on how strategic investment can serve as a catalyst for the economic and social revitalization of regions across Europe. In the context of strategic autonomy and reindustrialization, the need to support not only densely populated and dynamic areas but also rural and less-populated regions has become more pressing than ever.

Large companies operating in these areas play a vital role. Their investments not only generate employment but also foster skills development within local communities and stimulate innovation ecosystems. This type of corporate commitment can serve as a model for public policies aimed at promoting balanced growth across the European Union.

The event will showcase Amazon as an example of how widespread, localized investment across multiple regions can drive economic activity—through job creation, GDP contribution, and the broader social and economic revitalization of communities. It will bring together Amazon leaders, EU and regional policymakers, and experts to explore concrete success stories and replicable models for reindustrialization, territorial cohesion, and the role of public-private collaboration in driving regional transformation.

Heavy industry is an important part of the European economy. Sectors such as iron and steel, cement, chemicals and mining not only provide essential materials, but also boost European industrial competitiveness.

However, these sectors, who are major global GDP contributors, are amongst the highest emitters of CO2 and face increasing pressure to decarbonise and align with the EU’s climate targets. To address this challenge, the European Commission has recently launched the Clean Industrial Deal, which is designed to accelerate the decarbonisation of European industry and to foster competitiveness. As part of this initiative, the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act also aims to speed up industrial access to energy and decarbonisation.

According to a recent Fraunhofer IPA report on how hard-to-abate industries can achieve net zero, achieving these goals will require investment in new technologies, such as electrification of heat, carbon capture or hydrogen production. These solutions have the potential to reduce emissions while maintaining high productivity across Europe’s heavy industry and manufacturing.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to explore strategies to reduce carbon emissions in European heavy industry, while ensuring competitiveness of the sector. Questions to be addressed include:

- What role can existing and emerging technologies play in the decarbonisation of Europe’s heavy industry and manufacturing? How can the EU effectively foster innovation?
- How can the EU strike a balance between its climate ambitions, industrial competitiveness and productivity?
- What strategies can help ensure the cost competitiveness of low-carbon solutions for heavy industry?

Strengthening Europe’s position in the global data-driven economy and advancing its digital single market is crucial. To achieve this, smart regulation serves as a key enabler, attracting investments, reducing market barriers and driving ethical tech innovation. Amid global competition for AI dominance and high expectations for cutting red tape during this Commission term, regulatory technologies (RegTech) emerge as powerful tools to streamline complex compliance processes, allowing saved resources to be redirected toward value creation.

Listen to a discussion with industry, academia and policymakers to explore how European regulations can better support innovators and how innovations like RegTech can enable seamless regulatory compliance. The event will provide a deep dive into the potential of turning regulatory compliance into a competitive advantage, showcasing how technologies like AI have a unique momentum to empower organisations to streamline their reporting, reduce costs, and adapt to evolving realities as first-movers in their fields.

Participants will gain insights from compelling case studies on streamlining compliance in highly regulated sectors including healthcare, sustainability, and finance.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU and national governments have recognised the need for greater policy infrastructure to support better preparation for future cross-border health security threats. Pandemics and epidemics remain significant threats to global public health and are inevitable. In 2022, the European Commission introduced a Regulation to develop a comprehensive prevention, preparedness and response plan at EU and member state levels.

And in a major step forward, WHO Member States recently forged a draft agreement, to be discussed at the World Health Assembly in May, which aims to strengthen global collaboration on prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemic threats. EU Health Ministers argue they should have access to the 800 billion euros set aside for the EU’s over-arching Union Preparedness Strategy saying, “without essential medicines, Europe’s defence capabilities are compromised.”

One growing health concern is the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which occurs when germs no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines. The emergence and spread of these drug-resistant infections are also accelerated by human activity, such as conflicts that lead to mass displacement of civilian populations.

While the EU is taking steps to address potential health emergencies, including the acute threat of future virus pandemics as well as combatting the rise of the ‘slow pandemic’ of AMR, health and policy experts argue that further cooperation, transparency and improved procedures are needed among member states.

Against the backdrop of emerging public health issues, join this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the evolving EU policy landscape for health security to ensure Europe is prepared for new and emerging cross-border health threats. Questions to be addressed include:

• How can the EU initiatives on cross-border health threats be effectively implemented to ensure effective impact at both EU and national levels?
• What further measures can the EU and its member states take to ensure greater preparedness and response for future health security threats following the unprecedented damage done by COVID-19?
• Given the rise of AMR, what policies should be prioritised at the EU level to coordinate research, surveillance, and stewardship efforts?
• How can we ensure public-private working practices are successfully set up to face AMR?
• In the current geo-political climate how important is it to have on-shore manufacturing for medical counter measures in Europe?