High-Level Policy Conference PROGRAMME
One thing is certain: the European Hydrogen Week puts the most pressing topics of the hydrogen sector in the spotlight!
This year, our Brussels stage will be welcoming high-level speakers and experts to discuss a wide range of topics related to hydrogen. Attendees will get the chance to hear, learn and exchange with the brightest minds of the sector, with a common goal in mind: advancing this clean technology that will help Europe, and the world, achieve a carbon-neutral future.
What’s in store for the 2025 edition? Have a look at this year's programme:
DAY 1
MONDAY, 29.09.2025
HIGH-LEVEL POLICY CONFERENCE - Gold Hall
EVENING
HYDROGEN EUROPE'S AUTUMN MARKET (SOLD OUT)
DAY 2
TUESDAY, 30.09.2025
HIGH-LEVEL POLICY CONFERENCE - Gold Hall
09:00-10:00
REGISTRATION
10:00 – 10:20
Welcome address: Delivering on the hydrogen promise
- SOPNA SURY, Chair, Hydrogen Europe & COO Hydrogen, RWE
- JORGO CHATZIMARKAKIS, CEO, Hydrogen Europe
10:20 – 10:27
Setting the scene: IVANA JEMELKOVA, CEO, Hydrogen Council
10:27 – 10:30
VIDEO address: Hydrogen as an enabler of the EU climate and industrial resilience ambition: WOPKE HOEKSTRA, European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth
10:30 – 10:38
2025 country partner: SALIM BIN NASSER AL AUFI, Minister of Energy and Minerals, Sultanate of Oman
10:38 – 10:45
2024 country partner: SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR SARANGI, Secretary, Ministry of new and renewable energy, Republic of India
10:45 – 11:00
Speech "Rethinking transport for a net-zero Europe": BERTRAND PICCARD, Swiss explorer and psychiatrist, Solar Impulse Foundation
11:00 – 11:10
The road ahead: statement from the incoming EU Presidency: GIORGOS PAPANASTASIOU, Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Cyprus
11:10 – 11:20
Speech: KARIN RADSTRÖM, Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler Truck
11:20 – 11:30
Speech: WERNER PONIKWAR, CEO, thyssenkrupp nucera
11:30 – 12:00
COFFEE BREAK
12:00 – 12:10
Keynote speech: "Clean Tech for Mediterranean and MENA": DUBRAVKA ŠUICA, European Commissioner for Mediterranean
12:10 – 13:00
Panel debate: How can clean tech contribute to development? Waste, water, agriculture.
How can clean technologies drive hydrogen development while delivering broad co-benefits such as improved water and waste management? This session explores the vital links between hydrogen and other sustainable sectors, reinforcing the idea that offtake must be anchored in tangible, sector-specific use cases. From the MENA region and the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, we will hear how innovation and regional approaches contribute to advancing the hydrogen economy.
Speakers
Panel:
- SAKIS ARNAOUTOGLOU, Member, European Parliament
- ABDULAZIZ AL SHIDHANI, Managing director, Hydrom
- DENNIS SCHULZ, CEO, ITM Power
- DANICA MALJKOVIĆ, CTO, Indeloop
- MATTHIAS ZIEBELL, Senior Vice President for Sales, Energy Markets and Business Development, Robert Bosch
Introduction & moderation by: PETRA SCHWAGER, Chief of the Energy Technologies and Industrial Applications Division, UNIDO
13:00 – 14:15
LUNCH BREAK
14:15 – 15:15
Panel debate: Powering tomorrow: aligning energy infrastructure with net-zero goals
Providing both clean electrons and molecules will require a significant investment level in the coming decades. But this effort cannot be limited to the electricity grid alone. The challenges of tomorrow require us to work already today and deliver on fully system integrated grids, creating links and synergies between different types of energy carriers and infrastructures. This debate will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and energy system experts to discuss the impact of the Clean Industrial Deal and Affordable Energy Action plan on Europe’s capacity to achieve the “four infrastructures-are –better- than- one" approach, as well as identifying that challenges that lay ahead.
Speakers
Speech: JERZY KOPEC, Deputy Director of the Departament of Corporate Governance and Economy at the Marshal’s Office, Malopolska Region
Panel:
- MECHTHILD WÖRSDÖRFER, Deputy director general, DG Energy, European Commission
- CHRISTOPH VON DEM BUSSCHE, President, ENNOH
- CHARLOTTE ROULE, Group Hydrogen VP ENGIE and CEO, Storengy
- PIERRE DUVIEUSART, Deputy CEO, NaTran (H2Med Consortium)
- CSILLA BARTOK, Gas, Hydrogen, and Retail, ACER
Moderated by: SOPNA SURY, Chair, Hydrogen Europe & COO Hydrogen, RWE
15:15 – 15:25
Fuelling the future: financing the hydrogen backbone
Funding hydrogen infrastructure through traditional regulated tariffs (fees paid by network users) could result in extremely high fees for early users, making hydrogen less affordable and potentially discouraging further demand. To address this issue, the intertemporal cost allocation mechanism can be developed and implemented in Member State to help better manage upfront costs and risk allocation among users and TSOs. Can it be universally used in all Member States? What are the most reliable models for financing implemented in countries leading with H2 infrastructure development? Why should intertemporal cost allocations mechanisms be complemented by state guarantees?
Speakers
- BERNHARD KLUTTIG, Director general, German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy
15:25 – 16:00
How German regions are driving Europe’s net-zero future
Germany’s future Net Zero Valleys and Germany Trade & Invest will attend this year’s European Hydrogen Week High Level Policy Conference to discuss the exciting hydrogen opportunities available in the country’s regions in transformation. Europe’s newly enacted Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) seeks to promote European net zero technology (NZT) production capacity. An ambitious target of at least 40 percent of the European Union’s annual NZT requirements by 2030 is promoting cleantech investment and creating new market opportunities in Germany’s regions of transformation. Regions such as Lusatia, Northwest Lower Saxony, the Rhenish Mining Region and Schleswig-Holstein are establishing the first Net Zero Valleys in Europe and already show the NZT way forward. In this fireside chat attendees will learn more about the significance of the NZIA for Germany, NZT market potential, and the importance of hydrogen technologies to the future development of net zero acceleration sites.
Fireside chat:
- MELANIE WALTER, Minister for Europe and Regional Development of Lower Saxony
- BEATE BARON, Head of Department for Industrial Policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Moderated by: JORGO CHATZIMARKAKIS, CEO, Hydrogen Europe
16:00 – 16:30
COFFEE BREAK
16:30 – 16:40
Regulatory mandates for market development: MARTIN TENGLER, Head of Hydrogen Research, BloombergNEF
16:40 – 17:40
Resilience of critical infrastructure: energy and digital
Energy and digital sectors are becoming two parts of the same equation. Data centres and AI infrastructure at the heart of digital fabric require reliable, low-carbon, and flexible energy sources. In turn, IT services enabled by data centres and AI facilitate smarter operation of energy infrastructure, including hydrogen production, transport and storage. Digital and hydrogen ecosystems are mutually reinforcing strategic priorities but will require EU political and financial support to foster innovation and enhance existing and future symbiosis. How can Europe become a leader and usher in the new Industrial revolution driven by data and fueled by clean energy sources?
Speakers
Speech and moderation: GERALD LINKE, CEO, DVGW
Panel:
- ANDREA WECHSLER, Member of the European Parliament
- KONSTANTINOS CHATZIFOTIS, Manager of European Affairs, Motor Oil
- MICHAEL WINTERSON, Secretary General, Data Centre Association
- SHENA BRITZEN, Head of Hydrogen Program, Rheinmetall
- THORSTEN HERDAN, CEO, HIF Global
- ALBERTO RAVAGNI, CEO, Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centers
17:40 – 17:45
18:30 – 21:00
VIP DINNER (PER INVITATION ONLY)
DAY 3
WEDNESDAY, 01.10.2025
HIGH-LEVEL POLICY CONFERENCE - Gold Hall
09:00 – 10:00
REGISTRATION
10:00 – 10:10
Welcome address & day 1 recap: JORGO CHATZIMARKAKIS, CEO, Hydrogen Europe
10:10 – 10:20
Keynote speech: JEAN-LUC CRUCKE, Minister of Mobility, Climate and the Ecological Transition, Belgium
10:20 – 10:27
Speech "How to make efuels affordable": JOAQUÍN RODRIGUEZ, Hydrogen Director, Moeve
10:27 – 11:20
Panel debate: Zero-emission takeoff: can hydrogen and eSAF deliver clean aviation?
Air transport accounts for approximately 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions, and its share is rising. With traffic expected to rebound and grow by 10% by 2030, decarbonising aviation is no longer a distant goal but an urgent necessity. As aircrafts are difficult to electrify, what role can hydrogen propulsion and hydrogen-derived fuels like eSAF play in the sector’s energy transition? Is a “one-size-fits-all” solution feasible for short-, medium-, and long-haul flights? This session will explore how industry, travelers, and governments can address the high costs, limited infrastructure, and massive energy demands of clean aviation. It will also examine real-world demonstrations of hydrogen use through both the eSAF and liquid hydrogen (LH₂) pathways, assessing their potential to accelerate the transition to zero-emission air transport.
Speakers
Panel:
- TIMOTHY FENOULHET, Team leader Green Deal, Sec Gen, European Commission
- MARKUS EXENBERGER, Executive Director, H2Global Stiftung
- JAN TOSCHKA, CEO, Zaffra
- JASON MORTIMER, Senior Vice President, Global Commercial, Electric Hydrogen
Moderated by: LAURENT DONCEEL, Executive Director, Transport, Industrial Policy & Sustainability, Hydrogen Europe
11:20 – 11:30
Speech "On the ground: An exclusive look into building the world’s largest eSAF project"
- JASON MORTIMER, Senior Vice President, Global Commercial, Electric Hydrogen
- GEORGE COUVARAS, Vice President, International Business Development, Infinium
11:30 – 12:00
COFEE BREAK
12:00 – 12:50
Did the Hydrogen Bank deliver on expectations?
A reality check on the renowned European flagship support instrument for hydrogen producers, one of the first focusing exclusively on opex support: this session will assess whether the current EU-level financial architecture aligns with market uptake and the bankability of hydrogen projects. It aims to evaluate the effectiveness of financial mechanisms in supporting clean hydrogen uptake and accelerating project development across Europe.
Speakers
Introduction and moderation by: DANIEL FRAILE, Chief Policy & Market Officer, Hydrogen Europe
Panel:
- ARTURO GONZALO AIZPIRI, CEO, Enagas
- DIMTIRIOS TRIANTAFYLLOPOULOS, CEO, Hellenic Hydrogen
- ALEXANDRE PAQUOT, Director of Innovation for Clean Growth and Low Carbon Economy - DG CLIMA, European Commission
- SANTIAGO GONZALEZ HERRAIZ, Head of hydrogen, Spanish Energy agency, IDAE
- PHILIPP OFFENBERG, Head of Government and Executive Affairs Office Brussels, Siemens Energy
Closing remarks: ABHAY BAKRE, Mission Director, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Republic of India
12:50 – 14:00
LUNCH BREAK
14:00 – 14:20
Keynote speech: TERESA RIBERA, EVP of the European Commission for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
14:20 – 15:30
Building and sustaining lead markets in Europe
Compatible with the DNA of the EU and anchored in existing European tools and regulations, lead markets are being developed to better leverage the potential of the single market. These markets can complement existing supply-side instruments by creating demand for low-carbon products—especially in scenarios where the carbon price (notably under the EU ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) alone may not generate sufficient demand in the coming years. How can companies, regulators, and consumers better use the single market to drive competitive decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors? While state aid and subsidies may be short-lived, tools such as public and private procurement can provide market visibility and create captive demand for clean products.
Speakers
-
- KIM HEDEGAARD, CEO for Power-to-X, Topsoe
- JONATHAN WEBER, Chief Transformation Officer, SaarStahl
- VIBEKE RASMUSSEN, SVP Product Management and Certification, Yara Clean Ammonia
- TOMÁS MALANGO, Director of Renewable Fuels and Circular Economy, Repsol
- ANNA MASCOLO, EVP Low Carbon Solutions, Shell
- TOM SMEENK, EVP Growth, VTTI
15:30 – 16:00
COFFEE BREAK
16:00 – 16:10
Speech by partner country: SAIF AL HOSNI, Chief Business Development & Commercial Officer, OQ Gas Network
16:10 – 17:00
Panel debate: Global partnerships for a sustainable future
As the international geopolitical landscape is ongoing fundamental changes, the European Union is seeking to consolidate its relationship with its trading partners and to develop new ties with other geographies on a pragmatic basis to pursue its goals on climate, energy diversification and economic resilience. New trade negotiations, discussions on clean investment partnerships and a more focused approach to the EU development aid policy, are redesigning the energy cooperation framework of the EU and providing new opportunities in terms of hydrogen deployment in EU partner countries and of clean hydrogen trade. This session will assess the conditions and leverages needed to make this hydrogen agenda concrete and successful, building on the experience acquired in key countries.
Speakers
- SANTOSH KUMAR SARANGI, Secretary, Ministry of new and renewable energy, Republic of India
- PIERO VENTURI, Director of Clean Hydrogen Mission, Mission Innovation
- INGRID HOVEN, CEO, GIZ
- JAMES MNYUPE, Head of the Namibian Green Hydrogen Program
- AHMED MORTADA, Regional Head of the Energy sector in MENA and Deputy Head of Egypt and, EBRD
- RODRIGO PINTO SCHOLTBACH, Co-chair, International Hydrogen Trade Forum
Moderated by: VALERIE BOUILLON-DELPORTE, Executive Director, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
17:00 – 17:10
Closing session: Competitiveness in hydrogen tech industry
This session will examine how job creation can build political legitimacy for hydrogen demand by linking investments to tangible societal outcomes. It will explore strategies to align hydrogen development with employment and economic inclusion, ensuring public support and lasting impact.
- BARBRO AUESTAD, industriAll European Trade Union
17:10 – 17:17
Closing keynote: BERND LANGE, Chairman of the Committee on International Trade & Member of the European Parliament
17:17 – 17:20
Closing remarks: looking forward to the next edition and what comes tomorrow
- JORGO CHATZIMARKAKIS, CEO, Hydrogen Europe
- VALERIE BOUILLON-DELPORTE, Executive Director, Clean Hydrogen Partnership
17:20
END OF HIGH-LEVEL POLICY CONFERENCE
