15 January 2025

Online

On 15 January 2025 from 09:30-10:45 CET, ECDPM is organising a webinar on the geography of green iron and steel and the opportunities for Europe and North Africa.

Energy-intensive industries in Europe present a challenge in terms of decarbonisation due to associated costs, but also an opportunity to reassess the geography of these industries and how the EU engages with partners. Moreover, given that the EU will require its partners more than ever as it decarbonises its industry, it is essential to examine how these relations can be strengthened/improved.

A recent paper explains this issue by zooming on the iron and steel sector, and focusing on the EU and North Africa. Decarbonisation is not just a technically complex but also politically sensitive issue in the EU due to concerns of deindustrialisation and geopolitical competition with China. On the North African side, while presenting new opportunities to take advantage of the region’s vast renewable energy and hydrogen potential, it also requires significant coordination which has been lacking in the past. Moreover, EU-North Africa relations, multi-faceted as they are, have experienced tensions which need to be resolved.

This webinar will delve into these dynamics to find out whether decarbonisation of the EU’s iron and steel industry can present opportunities to work closely with North African partners while also meeting their objectives of industrial development, and thus strengthen relations by creating interdependencies.

Introduction
Alfonso Medinilla, Head, Climate action and green transition, ECDPM

Speakers
Soroush Basirat, Energy finance analyst, IEEFA Australia
Zaffar Hussain, Project lead PtX Africa, Agora Industry
Richard Smith, Policy adviser, Energy transition, E3G
Behnam Lot, Policy adviser, Industrial decarbonisation, Bellona Europe

Moderator
Poorva Karkare, Policy officer, African economic integration, ECDPM

For registration here