Brussels, Germany, France and Italy Facing the Energy and Industrial Crises: Coordinated or Diverging Trajectories?
Practical information
Accessibility
Themes and regions
Related centers and programs
This is a private event.
Learn more about our corporate support packages
Amidst soaring defense spending, higher borrowing costs, erosion of energy intensive industries, renewed energy price hikes and possibly physical shortages, the European Union and its Member States are again struggling to stabilize the European economies. Governments are tempted by uncoordinated, short-term moves while in Brussels, there is a struggle between the “more of the same” and the “scrap it largely” approaches to the transition.
Fundamental issues are at stake: the ETS reform, the Made in Europe criteria, the Grids Package and the need to build flexibility cost efficiently, the Electrification Action Plan, the growing trade deficit with China, the security of energy supplies, support to energy intensive industries, the next MFF while the deployment of hydrogen is still fragile.
This roundtable will discuss German, Italian and French approaches to the energy transitions and industry crises and their implications for Europe.
Program:
9:00-10:00 | Energy policy making in Brussels: is there a clear and coherent plan, what are opportunities, risks and red lines?
- Viola Rocher, Managing Director, Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft (BDEW), Brussels
Discussion with participants
10:00-11:30 | Views and developments in key Member States
- Germany: Felix Matthes, Research Coordinator, Energy & Climate Policy at the Öko-Institut – Institute for Applied Ecology in Berlin, Member of the German Hydrogen Commission
- Italy: Simona Benedittini, CEO & Founder, RACE Consulting
- France: Arthur Daemers, Head of European energy and climate policies, Ifri
Discussion with participants
Moderation: Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, Director, Center for Energy and Climate, Ifri
Please note that the event is by invitation only. It will be held in English without translation.
Contact
Find out more
Germany Maintains Its Single Electricity Price Zone: Implications
In December 2025, Germany refused to split its bidding zone despite recommendations from ENTSO-E, in order to preserve its federal unity, market liquidity, and the competitiveness of its industry, at the cost of persistent North-South imbalances.
Related Subjects
Other events
The EU–India Defense Partnership in an Evolving Security Environment
On 27 January 2026, the European Union and India signed a Security and Defence Partnership on the sidelines of the EU-India Summit. This agreement marks an important step in the evolution of the strategic partnership between the two sides, placing security and defence at the heart of a relationship that has until now been driven primarily by trade and economic cooperation.
One Month Ahead of the Midterms: Where Is Trump’s America Headed?
The November elections will be a test of President Trump’s grip on the U.S. political landscape and, by extension, on global geopolitics. As the political battle intensifies ahead of the vote, the U.S. economy remains resilient despite inflation and the twists and turns of trade policy, while the international order continues to be deeply unsettled by the war with Iran. The 24th edition of Ifri’s Annual Conference on the United States will examine the dynamics at play in the United States and their implications for Europe and the transatlantic relationship.