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Empowering a Competitive Union: from InvestEU to the European Competitiveness Fund

The 2nd InvestEU high-level event takes place in Brussels on 12 May 2025. The event will be hybrid.

On 12 May 2025, the European Commission hosted the event Empowering a Competitive Union: from InvestEU to the European Competitiveness Fund, gathering key stakeholders to discuss the strategic transition from InvestEU towards the future Competitiveness Fund in the context of the next MFF. The discussion highlighted the need to maintain Europe's trajectory toward decarbonisation and strengthen industrial competitiveness, especially in the scale-up phase of innovation. Participants underlined the importance of EU funding as a catalyst for startups, complementing private investment and simplifying access to financial instruments. The success of InvestEU mobilising up to now €300 billion in investments, including €200 billion from private sources—was acknowledged, alongside challenges such as startup financing in the scaleup phase. Emphasis was placed on the need to better mobilise existing capital, bridge the investment gap, and ensure public-private collaboration to support the EU's digital and green transitions.

  • competitiveness | EU investment
  • Monday 12 May 2025, 13:00 - 18:00 (CEST)
  • Brussels, Belgium
  • Live streaming available

Programme

  1. 12 May 2025, 12:00 - 13:00 (CEST)
    Welcome coffee / light lunch
  2. 13:00 - 14:00 (CEST)
    Opening session: Investment agenda for a Competitive Union

    Short welcome and introduction by Florence Ranson, Master of Ceremony

    Opening speech (15’)

    • Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, European Commission

    High-level statements (45’)

    • Paweł Karbownik, Deputy Minister of Finance, Poland
    • Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank

    Followed by exchange of views moderated by Kerstin Jorna, Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission

  3. 14:00 - 15:00 (CEST)
    Panel 1: Financing the Clean Industrial Deal

    Moderator: Maive Rute, Deputy Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission

    • Elina Roine, Deputy Director General of the Operations Directorate, European Investment Bank
    • Gianpiero Nacci, Managing Director for Climate Strategy and Delivery, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
    • Nils Aldag, CEO & Founder, Sunfire
    • Ton Vries, Co-founder and CEO, BioBTX
    • Teele Niidas, Chief Operating Officer, UP Catalyst
  4. 15:00 - 16:00 (CEST)
    Panel 2: Investing in technologies of tomorrow

    Moderator: Andras Inotai, Principal Adviser, Taskforce on Start-ups and Scale-ups, DG RTD, European Commission

    • Francesco Mele, Chief Executive Officer, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Equity
    • Paul François Fournier, Executive Director for Innovation, Bpifrance
    • Lise Rechsteiner, General Partner, VSquared Ventures
    • Alexander Ribbink, General Partner, Keen Venture Partners
    • Judit Giró Benet, Co-Founder and CEO, Blue Box Biomedical Solutions
  5. 16:00 - 16:30 (CEST)
    Networking Break
  6. 16:30 - 17:15 (CEST)
    Panel 3: Financing social investments and skills

    Moderator: Ruth Paserman, Director, DG EMPL, European Commission

    • Carlo Monticelli, Governor Council of Europe Development Bank
    • Laurence Mehaignerie, Co-founder, Citizen Capital
    • Francesco Mandruzzato, Commercial Director, Lendlease
    • Yesil Rusconi, Head of International Relations, France Active
  7. 17:15 - 18:00 (CEST)
    Concluding session: Mobilising EU based private capital

    Moderator: Alexandra Jour-Schroeder, Deputy Director-General, DG FISMA, European Commission

    • Merete Clausen, Deputy CEO, European Investment Fund
    • Pontus Bergekrans, Group Chief Investment Officer, SEB Life & Pension
    • Fabio Pammolli, Chair, InvestEU Investment Committee
    • Helmut von Glasenapp, Secretary General, European Long-Term Investors Association
  8. 18:00 - 18:15 (CEST)
    Closing remarks

    Closing remarks by Maive Rute, Deputy Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission

    Closing of the event by Florence Ranson, Master of Ceremony

  10. 18:15 - 19:30 (CEST)
    Networking cocktail

Speakers

Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, European Commission
Stéphane Séjourné
Deputy Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission
Maive Rute
Deputy Director General of the Operations Directorate, European Investment Bank
Elina Roine
Managing Director for Climate Strategy and Delivery, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Gianpiero Nacci
Principal Adviser, Taskforce on Start-ups and Scale-ups, DG RTD, European Commission
Andras Inotai
Chief Executive Officer, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Equity
Francesco Mele

Practical information

When
Monday 12 May 2025, 13:00 - 18:00 (CEST)
Where
Charlemagne Building
Rue de la Loi 170, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
Languages
English

Description

At these policy crossroads, the event will provide an outlook on the future European Competitiveness Fund and the role InvestEU can play therein. In particular, the event will showcase InvestEU’s investments supporting innovation, decarbonisation and the social sector, highlighting its impactful de-risking and crowding in effect. The conference will bring together InvestEU implementing partners, beneficiaries, private investors, policy makers and the wider stakeholder community.

A high-level opening session with Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, will open the event, followed by interventions from Andrzej Domański, the Minister of Finance of Poland and Nadia Calviño, the President of the European Investment Bank.

The opening session will be followed by four panels:

  • Financing the Clean Industrial Deal,
  • Investing in technologies of tomorrow,
  • Financing social investments and skills
  • Mobilising EU based private capital.

Download the detailed programme

The event will be hybrid.