250 People Attend FEDIL Industry Day, Focusing on Industrial Competitiveness

The FEDIL business federation has reported that it invited some 250 participants to the FEDIL Industry Day which took place at Den Atelier in Luxembourg-Hollerich on Wednesday 11 September 2024.

Spanning half a day, the event combined debates and exchanges of ideas between representatives of the national and European political world, industry and strategy consultants with networking moments.

Enhanced by the presence of Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Minister of the Economy, Lex Delles, the FEDIL Industry Day was structured around two roundtables, highlighting the concerns and challenges of the industry and its companies.

The first topic discussed the question "Carbon free industry, a huge case for public spending?" and was introduced by Bernhard Lorentz, Global Consulting Sustainability & Climate Leader at Deloitte Deutschland. A policy advisor with a particular interest in global energy and decarbonisation strategies, Mr Lorentz addressed the global challenges of decarbonisation, including the role of investors in the energy transition agenda as well as the urgency and possible strategies for the industry to achieve the goal of climate neutrality.

The first round of discussions, moderated by Gaston Trauffler, who is in charge of industrial policy at FEDIL, allowed Patrick Klein, CEO of Dyckerhoff, Stéphane Tondo, Head of Climate Change / Government Affairs at ArcelorMittal, Claude Turmes, former Luxembourg Minister for Energy and Spatial Planning and former MEP, Laurence Zenner, Managing Director and CEO of Creos Luxembourg, and Bernhard Lorentz to debate the necessary investments, particularly in terms of public spending, to decarbonise industry and to better understand the major challenges to be met by highly exposed industries.
The necessary integration of the electricity market in Europe, the importance of network interconnectivity for the Grand Duchy, the development of renewable energy infrastructure, the acceleration of procedures and the flexibility granted to industries and companies were among the topics discussed.

The second roundtable dealt with the topic "Critical supply chains - a story of access and exits" and was introduced by Arnaud Lanoe, financial analyst at CapitalatWork Foyer Group. His presentation on the challenges of supply chains in the mining industry provided a basis for discussion to animate the second panel, moderated by Emmanuelle Mousel, partner at Arendt & Medernach. This roundtable brought together Merete Clausen, Investment Director at DG GROW of the European Commission, Isabel Hochgesand, Chief Procurement & Hazelnut Company Officer at Ferrero, Jean-Louis Schiltz, Senior Partner at Schiltz & Schiltz and Vice-President of FEDIL, Paul Schockmel, CEO of IEE, and Arnaud Lanoe. Coming from diverse backgrounds, the speakers debated the geopolitical and regulatory challenges related to supply chains and proposals in this area to safeguard the competitiveness of companies in Europe, with industry representatives illustrating the theme with concrete issues that their respective sectors encounter on a daily basis.

The debates ended with a few words from Economy Minister Lex Delles, who welcomed the constructive discussions with industry players. Stressing the importance of the European context for the development of Luxembourg industry, he assured that the government would seize every opportunity to commit to clear, simple and harmonised rules and avoid any excessive regulation. He also recalled the various support measures in place from which companies can benefit.

The FEDIL Industry Day ended with a barbecue, during which participants continued their discussions.