Rapporteur Talks

In April 2023, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Directive and a new Regulation, aimed at revising and replacing the existing General Pharmaceutical Legislation (GPL). The proposal focuses on modernising the pharmaceutical sector with a patient-centred approach, while also fully supporting an innovative and competitive industry.

Through the proposal, the EU aims to offer an attractive and innovation-friendly environment for research, development, and production of medicines in Europe. The EU plans to create this environment by promoting world-class innovation, governed by stable and consistent rules that keep pace with innovation and which increase competitiveness while reducing red tape and costs.

One of the sectors impacted by the proposal is that of biotechnology, which has been instrumental in the discovery and development of therapies, diagnostics, vaccines and, most importantly, advanced medicines. These ‘next generation medicines’ are delivered through a complex and interdependent biotechnology ecosystem, where companies of all sizes contribute to establishing a pathway to patients.

General Pharmaceutical Legislation. Questions to be discussed include:

• How can Europe’s biotechnology industry maintain its competitiveness in the global medical market?
• How can we establish a framework that fosters the growth of small biotech innovators?
• What are the reactions of investors to the challenges faced by small biotech companies, and how do these reactions influence the trajectory of innovation in the biotech industry?
• What strategies can be employed to establish a successful innovation pathway for biotech companies, while considering and aligning with the objectives of the reformed GPL?

The future of European competitiveness and innovation and its global investment attractiveness is at a critical juncture. In the coming years, it’s imperative that EU policymakers remain laser-focused on addressing pressing challenges—including tech, environmental, sustainability, and security policy—and transforming them into opportunities for EU leadership.

Join global technology trade association ITI, EU lawmakers, industry leaders, and tech policy experts for this in-person event to explore how policymakers can transition to a more innovative digital economy, strengthen open trade, and further deepen the single market.

This event will include a keynote interview and panel conversation with a leading EU policymaker moderated by ITI’s global President and CEO Jason Oxman.

While maritime transport plays an essential role in the EU economy and is one of the most energy-efficient modes of transport, it is also a large and growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. Projections show that these emissions could increase by up to 30% of 2008 emissions by 2050. If the climate change impact of shipping activities isn’t addressed promptly, it risks undermining the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Stakeholders argue that one solution to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in shipping could be energy efficiency labels which, contrary to what currently exists, would enforce good performance, not just define it.

In 2021, the International Maritime Organization, agreed to judge the climate impact of ships through a labelling system, called the carbon intensity indicator (CII). In this system, an ‘A’ grade stands for the cleanest ships and ‘E’ for the dirtiest. The grades are a measure of a ship’s carbon emissions per ton-mile of transport work in the previous calendar year and all grades above “E” are compliant. However, campaigners argue that these global requirements are too easy to pass, with no consequences for those who fail them.

One way of accelerating climate action could be through the EU’s ‘port state control’ - the principle through which states decide the conditions for ships to enter their ports. European ports could require shipping fleets to achieve ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades , by implementing energy-saving technologies or using clean alternative fuels.

Listen to this Euractiv Virtual Conference to discuss the role that climate labels and the Carbon Intensity Indicator can play in reducing climate emissions of the maritime shipping sector by 2030. Questions to be discussed include:

- How can we make sure that CII metrics accurately reflect and incentivise environmentally friendly practices?
- Would an openly accessible global database of A-E ship grades help accelerate shipping decarbonisation?
- In what way could the CII be amended to reward the use of renewable hydrogen-based fuels?
- What contribution can cargo owners and investors make to decarbonise the shipping industry?

The tax landscape has evolved over the last decade. There has been a perceived lack of trust in large businesses and a concern that globalisation has benefited larger companies rather than the population at large. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated inequalities and public deficits, with governments facing the dual challenge of responding to emergencies and addressing the economic fallout. This has ultimately led to calls for greater transparency and reforms of international tax rules including OECD Pillar 1 and 2, EU public country by country reporting and more.

With the changing business environment, volatility in the energy markets, and tightening of the financial markets, large multinational companies (MNCs) have been forced to quickly adapt and innovate.

Join this European Business Tax Forum (EBTF) hybrid conference with the support of Euractiv, to discuss the role and resilience of European MNCs in contributing to public finances and the social welfare system during the pandemic and recovery thereof.

Questions to be discussed include:

- What is the current level of total tax contributions paid by MNCs following the pandemic? How has it changed compared to previous years?
- What have the policy responses been with regards to MNCs and taxation in the post-Covid pandemic environment with rising energy prices and inflation?
- What is the link between tax and sustainability?

En septembre 2017, le président français Emmanuel Macron évoquait l’idée d’une Europe « souveraine, unie et démocratique ». La pandémie mondiale de la COVID, l’invasion russe de l’Ukraine, ainsi que les tensions géopolitiques, ravivent plus que jamais le principe d’un protectionnisme européen.

Tantôt décrite par ses détracteurs comme inenvisageable, tantôt présentée comme unique solution aux défis de demain, la notion de protectionnisme européen est un enjeu majeur des élections européennes de 2024. Alors que les responsables politiques européens s’apprêtent à soumettre leur mandat au vote populaire, un discours protectionniste assumé incarne-t-il une réponse politique pertinente face aux extrêmes et à l’euroscepticisme ? Une souveraineté européenne est-elle envisageable, tant au regard des intérêts nationaux que des enjeux économiques européens ?

Cet événement a pour vocation de remettre à plat les grandes décisions stratégiques de l’Union européenne des cinq dernières années et à les analyser à l’aune du protectionnisme européen. Elle posera aussi la question du rôle que celui-ci peut jouer dans les élections européennes.

Keynote | La souveraineté européenne peut-elle être une réponse à la crise des urnes ?

Table ronde 1 | La souveraineté industrielle européenne à l’ère de l’IRA

L'adoption de l'Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aux Etats-Unis en août 2022 remet plus que jamais la question du protectionnisme européen au cœur des débats. Alors que l’enjeu est de maintenir une compétitivité industrielle européenne face à la Chine et aux Etats-Unis, sans renier nos engagements de décarbonation. La Commission a vocation à devenir leader mondial de l'industrie verte. Dans ce contexte, elle a présenté en début d'année le plan industriel du Pacte Vert, qui inclue notamment les réglementations Net Zero Industry Act et Critical Raw Materials Act.

A l'ère de l’IRA, une politique protectionniste européenne est-elle nécessaire ? Est-elle possible, et quels impacts économiques et géopolitiques pourrait-elle engendrer ?

Table ronde 2 | Quels sont les grands enjeux des élections européennes 2024 ?

L’Europe se trouve actuellement confrontée à de nombreuses crises: défi climatique, immigration, réindustrialisation, indépendance énergétique ou encore tensions géopolitiques.

Dans ce contexte, et alors que seul un français sur deux s'était rendu aux urnes pour les élections européennes de 2019, le spectre de l’abstention plane encore et toujours pour 2024.

Comment parler d'Europe en 2024 ? Quels liens peut-on établir entre polycrises et abstention ? Quelles réponses apporter aux Français ?

Cet événement est organisé par Euractiv en partenariat avec Europa Expérience.

Achieving the EU’s ambitions for a more sustainable, resilient and competitive economy requires actions across many sectors. Europe’s bioeconomy, which converts renewable resources from agriculture, forests, and seas - including residues and waste - into food, feed, materials, and energy, contributes to this effort.

According to the European Commission, a sustainable bioeconomy is necessary to build a carbon neutral future in line with the climate objectives set out in the Paris Agreement. Bioenergy, currently the EU’s largest renewable energy source, remains a key component of the energy mix in 2023 and can contribute to meeting the EU renewable energy targets of at least 32% by 2030.

The 2018 update of the Commission’s Bioeconomy Strategy aims to accelerate the deployment of a sustainable European bioeconomy to maximise its contribution towards the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the Paris Agreement.

Listen to this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the future of the EU’s bioeconomy. Questions to be addressed include:

- What are the key policy challenges related to the bioeconomy and the sector’s new policy “manifesto”?
- What have been the EU’s updated Bioeconomy Strategy successes so far, and what can be improved?
- How can the EU bioeconomy help achieve related goals for climate-change mitigation, energy security, innovation and strategic autonomy?

Innovation is key to the digitalisation of our society. Open global technology standards, based on standard-essential patents (SEPs), are the foundation upon which companies continue to innovate and create new products and services. Without SEPs, for example, it would not be possible to make mobile phone calls, stream videos, provide up-to-date traffic information to connected cars or access remote healthcare and learning.

SEPs incentivise innovators to contribute their best technologies to open standards, so that economies and societies at large can benefit from open access to these technologies and globally interoperable solutions. Royalties obtained through licensing are reinvested by patent-holders, thereby creating a virtuous circle of R&D, patenting, licensing and re-investment into R&D and standards.

On 27th April, the European Commission proposed a new regulatory framework for SEPs which would radically alter many aspects of SEP licensing in Europe. Many stakeholders are concerned that the proposals will undermine an important incentive for European innovators to invest in research and development for 5G and 6G and, in turn, threaten Europe’s technological leadership in global standards.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are organic compounds containing fluorine that do not degrade. Consequently, they are sometimes referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. There are thousands of specific PFAS, with a range of consumer and industrial uses.

As part of the EU’s zero pollution ambition, which is a key commitment of the European Green Deal, the EU’s chemicals strategy aims to phase out the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the EU, unless their use is essential. The EU is planning to ban around 10,000 PFAS substances.

However, many industry stakeholders argue that this potential ban makes no differentiation between the substance groups of PFAS and banning all of them will affect the technologies that are needed to reach climate neutrality and thus the green transition. They also argue that this regulatory approach jeopardises entire production processes in machinery and plant engineering – particularly new technologies in the energy transition – and lacks sufficient scientific foundation.

Listen to this Euractiv Virtual Conference to discuss the potential impacts of a blanket ban of PFAS on industry and what scope there is for a different classification of certain PFAS. Questions to be discussed include:
- What are the risks and disadvantages of using PFAS for health and the environment? How could these be averted?
- What impact can be foreseen for industry in the eventuality of an undifferentiated ban of PFAS?
- How can a comprehensive scientific risk assessment be carried out for the restricted substances, and what could be a solution for a more proportionate classification of PFAS?

The EU AI Act, proposed by the European Commission in 2021, will have a major impact on the development and use of artificial intelligence within the European Union. The Act stipulates that providers of AI systems established in the EU must comply with the regulation, as well as entities in third countries that introduce AI systems to the EU market.

In July 2023, the spotlight turned to Madrid as Spain took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Spanish Presidency has in particular focused on advancing the negotiations on the AI Act, while addressing complex ethical, legal, and societal considerations, alongside ensuring the promotion of a framework that cultivates trust and facilitates the responsible and human-centred development and use of AI technologies in Europe. The three-way negotiations between Council of the EU, European Parliament and European Commission to finalise the AI Act are now at an advanced stage, and the aim is to reach an agreement before the end of 2023.

In parallel with the EU’s regulatory advances, a wide array of international initiatives is in the making. G7 leaders agreed to establish the Hiroshima AI Process in May, calling for creating international guidelines that will also address the use of generative AI, by the end of 2023. In the meantime, Council of Europe is also negotiating a convention on AI and human rights, democracy and the rule of law, due to be finalised in early 2024. Such initiatives will play a key role until the AI Act starts fully applying sometime in 2026, following what is expected to be a two-year implementation period.

While there seems to be a global consensus on the need for regulating AI, there is no agreement yet on how to go about it. For different AI regulations to be most effective, it will be crucial to ensure the multitude of initiatives lead to approaches that align with each other.

Listen this Euractiv Hybrid Conference to discuss the AI Act and the potential of cross-continental cooperation in fostering global AI governance.

 Questions to be discussed include:

- How has the Spanish Presidency fostered AI regulation dialogue with international partners to promote responsible AI use?
- How can cross-continental cooperation enhance AI governance? What are the opportunities for such collaboration?
- How can global initiatives for regulating AI complement the AI Act, and vice versa?
- Where are we seeing commonalities among AI policy frameworks? What are the core tenants for AI governance that should be replicated amongst all initiatives on AI?
- What are the implications of strict regulation of AI on Europe’s global competitiveness?

Spain is part of D9+, the group of European countries leading a new economic model with impact in multiple sectors. We are the seventh country in the European Union in the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), ahead of the major European economies.

And the time is now. The digital economy has a real impact on the Spanish GDP: it accounted for 22% in 2022 and, with a joint effort, it can reach 40% in 2030. Spain has strengths and characteristics to lead the European digital transformation during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The 2020s are the European Commission's Digital Decade, with ambitious targets in four areas to accelerate progress in skills, government, infrastructures and business. Achieving the Digital Decade goals could unlock over €2.8 trillion in economic value, equivalent to 21% of the EU’s current economy, and a majority (55%) of this potential economic value is reliant on cloud computing.

This event wants to share the experience from best-in-class organizations in Spain, using emerging digital technologies like the cloud, generative AI or smart algorithms to innovate key industries, from Tourism and E-Commerce to Banking and Energy. This initiative tends to be a business and political landmark within the agenda of activities for the Spanish Presidency and a space to generate ideas and proposals for the next European elections.

Organised by: Adigital
Media Partner: Euractiv