News

Examining the Transformation of the Automotive Sector at the 8th Annual Future of Transport Conference

21 March 2023

The 8th Annual Future of Transport Conference returns to Brussels next week on 28 March, convening influential and diverse stakeholders, including policymakers, C-suite executives, thought leaders, the civil society and other experts to explore how the right balance between European environmental, trade and industrial policies can be found as the automotive sector - a significant employer and innovator - is undergoing unprecedented transformation.

 

For the vehicle industries and those in the value chain including the aftermarket sector, zero-emission mobility is the near future, demanding a significant restructuring of business models, manufacturing processes and innovation. Until recently, the promulgation of the EU’s law stating that cars and vans placed on the EU market must be zero-emission from 2035 seemed a ‘done deal’. With a number of Member States now objecting to the legislation as it stands and pushing for a new proposal including provisions that would allow the sales of vehicles with combustion engines running on e-fuels, the passage of the law seems now uncertain – this legislative impasse poses critical questions for the automotive, energy, and broader industry ecosystems as well as for consumers, and the conference will provide a timely opportunity for all stakeholders to come together and discuss these issues amongst many other topics.

 

Themes at the event will cover:

 

To illustrate these themes, speakers including…:

  • Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport
  • Georges Gilkinet, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister for Mobility, Belgium
  • Sigrid de Vries, Director General, ACEA
  • Daniel Mes, Member of Cabinet, Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans
  • Ismail Ertug, Member, European Parliament
  • Holger Krahmer, Head of EU Affairs, Mercedes-Benz Group AG
  • Renata Surowiec, Director Government Affairs, Ford Motor Company
  • Mark Nicklas, Head of Unit, Mobility & Energy Intensive Industries, Mobility, DG GROW, European Commission
  • Max Lemke, Head of Unit, Internet of Things, DG CONNECT, European Commission
  • Michael Schäfer, Managing Director, Mobility Data Space, Germany 
  • Jeremy Rollison, Senior Director, EU Government Affairs, Microsoft Europe
  • Juliana Koza, Senior Manager Government Affairs EMEA, Qualcomm
  • Mikael Isaksson, Public Affairs Officer, Volvo Cars

..will examine the following questions: What does the future look like for the European vehicle and batteries sector? What support does it need from regulators to survive and thrive in the green transition? How will geopolitics impact progress to zero-emission mobility for 2035? What progress is the sector making in the tilt towards software and digital, and as we move towards 5G-Advanced and eventually to 6G, what new use cases and applications are going to emerge and how can these be harnessed to make our roads and cities smarter and safer?

 

Apply for your place today at https://futuretransport-eu.com and find out more about Forum Europe’s future conferences in this sector by signing up to our newsletter today.