CEPI, the organisation representing the European paper industry has opened its 18th edition of its annual event European Paper Week welcoming nearly 350 movers and shakers from the across the European paper industry and the four corners of the globe.
This year’s programme set the tone for its positive agenda ahead as we enter 2017. At this year’s event attendees will be provided with the opportunity to meet CEPI’s new Director General, Sylvain Lhôte as well as its Chairman, Peter Oswald (CEO Mondi Group, Europe & International Division).
The highlight of this year’s event, the high-level session includes notable speakers such as Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator of the Financial Times, Lucrezia Reichlin of the London Business School, Signe Ratso, Director, DG TRADE, the EIB as well as Moody’s. The discussion will reflect on global economic trends and the investment implications for the European paper industry.
As an indication of the strides forward industry has made on the innovation agenda this year’s event will open with ten young researchers showcasing their industry-changing ideas. Three of them will be in line for the prestigious global Blue Sky Innovation Award to be launched for the first time in 2017.
This will be complemented on Wednesday by a session dedicated to the 2017 prospects for the energy market and a joint session with our partners from RISI on the global market outlook ahead. During this discussion we will be joined by Innventia who will present their groundbreaking"Cellulose-Based Society" report.
On top of this together with our trade union partners Industriall we will discuss the need for policymakers to tip the balance in favour of supporting the skills and competences necessary for the bioeconomy transition. Most significantly we will address the outcome of European Commission study demonstrating the financial burden of EU regulations and the detrimental impact on industry’s ability to reinvest and to ensure industrial transformation happens in Europe.
Finally our new Director General will launch the discussion on the way forward for our 2050 Roadmap outlining industry’s vision to move forward on the path towards a low-carbon, circular bioeconomy by 2050 in Europe, for Europe. This roadmap will be immediately open for contributions from stakeholders.