2026 programme

Setting the conditions for scale: from policy to financing mechanisms and project realities

As Europe's projects look towards large-scale deployment, this year's theme will assess whether the right policies, market frameworks and investment conditions will be in place to translate ambition into real-world progress.

Over one day at the heart of EU policymaking, you will hear directly from the policymakers shaping the Industrial Accelerator Act, the CO₂ Market and Infrastructure Regulatory Package and the future of the EU Emissions Trading System, learn what is working (and what is not) from flagship projects, and examine how financing instruments and the emerging market for permanent carbon removals could unlock commercial deployment.

This is a tentative programme. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay updated as sessions and speakers are announced.

Ahead of the Summit, join us on 2 December (17:00–19:00) for the side event One year in operation: What’s next for CCS in Europe?, organised by Northern Lights with the support of Carbon Management Europe at Full Circle, Brussels.

09:00 - 09:30 – Registrations & networking breakfast

9:30 - 9:40 – Welcome address

9:45 - 10:00 – 30 years of CCS at Sleipner: A beacon for the emerging industrial decarbonisation portfolio

Marking the 30th anniversary of Sleipner, and looking ahead to projects such as Greensand, the opening keynote will examine the progress made so far, the challenges encountered, and the conditions needed to successfully scale CO₂ management across Europe.

Speaker
Philip Ringrose – Professor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

10:00 - 10:40 – Industrial Accelerator Act:
How can lead markets drive European industrial decarbonisation and competitiveness?

For many energy-intensive industries, scaling industrial carbon management will be essential to cut emissions while maintaining production in Europe.

This panel will explore how stronger markets for low-carbon products can unlock investment in industrial carbon management and turn decarbonisation into a competitive advantage.

Speakers (more speakers to be announced soon)
Jacek Truszczynski – Head of Unit for Net Zero Industries, DG GROW, European Commission
Eric Bourdon – Deputy CEO, Vicat

10:40 - 11:00 – Accelerating knowledge sharing and deployment

Knowledge on industrial carbon management is scattered across hundreds of reports, projects and databases - making it hard to build on.

Discover Europe's new hub that brings that knowledge together, supported by the European Commission.

Speaker
Eadbhard Pernot – Executive Director, Carbon Management Europe

11:00 - 11:30 – Networking coffee

11:30 - 12:15 – How can carbon pricing deliver industrial competitiveness?

As Europe reviews its emissions trading system and carbon pricing gains momentum globally, attention is turning to the role of carbon pricing in driving investment and industrial transformation.

This panel will examine how carbon markets can be designed to accelerate and reward industrial decarbonisation while managing both carbon leakage and competitiveness risks.

Speakers (more speakers to be announced soon)
Mihnea Cătuți – Executive Director, Energy Policy Group (EPG)

12:20 - 12:40 – From national to European: building an internal market for CO₂

A well-functioning CO₂market will require clear rules for how infrastructure is planned, financed, accessed and regulated.

In this fireside chat, two Member States will share how their national frameworks for CO₂ storage currently work and how these existing national frameworks should fit with the EU's emerging CO₂ market and infrastructure regulatory framework.

Speakers
Michiel Maertens – Attaché for Energy, Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU
Jasmin Sharzad – Deputy Head of Division, Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities

12:45 - 13:45 – Networking lunch

13:50 - 14:10 – CO₂ storage: a live demonstration

Doing CCS is complex, but the physics that allows it is not.

This live session will showcase the FluidFlower - a laboratory rig developed at the University of Bergen - and simulate the process that occurs when CO₂ is injected kilometres underground during large-scale CO₂ storage operations.

The experiments conducted with FluidFlower have established a benchmark for the best practices in simulating subsurface CO₂-water interactions globally.

Speaker
Kristoffer Eikehaug – Researcher, University of Bergen

14:10 - 14:25 – Who bears the risk? Designing an EU CO₂ Network Availability Guarantee Mechanism

CCS projects depend on the timely and reliable operation of every link in the value chain, leaving operators exposed to risks beyond their direct control.

This presentation will examine how cross-chain risks can be allocated more effectively and how an EU guarantee mechanism could reduce operational exposure.

Speaker
Aymeric Amand – Policy and Research Director, Carbon Management Europe

14:30 - 15:10 – Financing CCS: From contract to construction

Getting CCS projects to final investment decision and into operation means navigating commercial, regulatory and cross-chain risks.

This panel explores how policy, contracts and risk-sharing mechanisms can improve bankability and accelerate deployment.

Speakers (more speakers to be announced soon)
Jeannette Baljeu – Member of the European Parliament, VVD delegation, Renew Europe Group
Michel Krenzer – Energy Transition Lead, SCOR

15:10 - 15:25 – Project highlight

Replication stalls when first-of-a-kind projects don’t translate into repeatable delivery models.

Hear the lessons learned from the deployment of a leading European industrial carbon management project.

15:30 - 16:05 – Networking coffee

16:05 - 16:20 – Project highlight

16:20 - 17:00 – Driving demand for carbon removals

Explore how initiatives such as the EU CRCF Buyers’ Club and a future EU Purchasing Facility can stimulate public and private demand for high-quality carbon removals, provide revenue certainty, and support their contribution to climate targets.

Speakers (more speakers to be announced soon)
Christian Holzleitner – Head of Unit for Land Economy and Carbon Removals, DG CLIMA, European Commission
Martin Flack – Deputy Head of Department, Swedish Energy Agency

17:00 - 17:20 – Project highlight

17:20 - 17:30 – Closing remarks

17:30 - 18:30 – Networking drinks