The Conference was organised by the Croatian EU Presidency and Industry4Europe, a coalition of over 150 industry associations promoting a strong EU industrial strategy. EBI is a longstanding member of the coalition and was a sponsor of the event held on 21 January in Brussels.
Several high-level speakers from the EU institutions spoke at the event:
- Goran Štefanić, Deputy Permanent Representative of Croatia to the European Union
- Darko Horvat, Croatian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Craft
- Cristian-Silviu Buşoi, MEP, Chair of the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
- Lucie Studničná, President of the Consultative Commission for Industrial Change (CCMI) of the European Economic and Social Committee
- Mario Antonić, State Secretary, Croatian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts
- Carlo Calenda, MEP, Member of the European Parliament Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
- Mr Gwenole Cozigou, Acting Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), European Commission
Key points addressed during the event were the role of European industry to implement the European Green Deal, the importance of small and medium-sized companies, and industry as backbone of the European economy. The EU should lead in innovation and developing the products, technologies & business models of the future.