16 March 2026, Brussels – Policymakers, businesses and investors discussed how the EU can set a comprehensive and coherent policy framework to achieve its decarbonisation, competitiveness, and energy security objectives looking at recent and upcoming policy developments like the Clean Industrial Deal, the post-2030 climate and energy framework, and financial instruments.
The Green Growth Summit 2026 took place against a backdrop of economic and geopolitical uncertainty, and rising energy costs. As Climate and Enviroment Ministers gathered in Brussels ahead of the Environment Council and on the week of the European Council, discussions focused on how to strengthen Europe’s economic resilience and energy security while advancing the clean transition.
The Summit brought together policymakers, businesses and investors todiscuss how the EU can deliver a coherent policy and investment framework for decarbonisation, building on flagship political initiatives such as the Clean Industrial Deal and the post-2030 climate and energy framework. Across discussions, a clear message emerged: decarbonisation is not only essential fordecarbonisation objectives, but a central pillar of Europe’s competitiveness, energy security and long-term prosperity.
Key messages at a glance
- The business case for the clean transition is clear. Companies are already investing at scale, and need policy certainty to do so. Changing direction now risks delaying progress.
- Electrification is a no-regret priority. It is central to regaining control over Europe’s energy system and strengthening its resilience.
- The EU ETS remains a cornerstone. The ETS delivers and many businesses have built their business models on the predictability it provides.
- Circularity and circular value chains are key to competitiveness. In a resource-constrained continent, closing circular loops and retaining value is essential.
At the Summit, CLG Europe also launched a statement on clean electrification, calling for stronger EU action to scale up deployment, strengthen grids and provide stable investment signals. In parallel, the We Mean Business Coalition presented its “Electric Advantage” white paper, reinforcing the business case for electrification as a driver of competitiveness and growth.
An international perspective from the UNFCCC Executive Secretary
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), set the global context by warning that fossil fuel dependence continues to expose economies to “geopolitical shocks and price volatility,” with Europe particularly vulnerable due to its reliance on imports.
He stressed that accelerating the transition is both an economic and strategic opportunity, noting that renewable energy is already “cheaper, safer and faster to deploy,” and that stronger climate action can become a lasting source of “jobs, growth and stability” in an increasingly uncertain global landscape. The entirety of the speech is available here.
Main takeaways from the Summit
- Europe must maintain the course to provide certainty and unlock investment.
A consistent message across speakers was the importance of stability and predictability in the EU policy framework. Ursula Woodburn, Director of CLG Europe and the Green Growth Partnership, highlighted that the current push back on some constitutional elements of the EU’s climate and energy framework bear the risk of having an adverse effect as businesses relay on regulatory predictability to scale up investments in decarbonisation. She stressed that the cost of inaction now outweighs the cost of transition, particularly in a volatile geopolitical context.
From the business perspective, Helena Norrman, Executive Vice President and Head of Group Communications at SSAB, and Vice-Chair of CLG Europe, warned that “you don’t change the rules of the game in the middle of the game,” underlining that companies are already making large-scale investments based on existing policy signals.
This was reinforced by Elina Bardram, Director for Climate Resilience and Information Management at DG CLIMA, who pointed to the EU’s “solid backbone” of targets and frameworks, including the 2040 decarbonisation objective
Member States echoed this need for continuity. Aira Paliukėnaitė, Vice Minister of the Environment of Lithuania, highlighted the role of EU frameworks such as Fit for 55 Package in ensuring long-term stability across political cycles, while Philip Nugent, Director-General for International and EU Affairs (Climate, Energy and Environment) of Ireland, stressed that “when you’re crossing the road, you don’t stop halfway.”
Across discussions, maintaining the EU ETS as a cornerstone instrument was repeatedly identified as essential to preserving investment signals and policy credibility. Prior to the Summit, more than 100 businesses signed a letter, telling EU leaders that a strong carbon market is vital to the EU’s sovereignty and security.
- Electrification and renewable energy are central to Europe’s competitiveness, security and resilience.
Electrification emerged as a key enabler of both decarbonisation and economic resilience. Carine de Boissezon, Chief Impact Officer of EDF, emphasised that it is fundamental to ensuring European “sovereignty,” reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels and strengthening domestic energy systems.
Elina Bardram (DG CLIMA) reinforced this by framing electrification as part of a broader agenda for innovation, security and strategic independence.
From a national perspective, Aira Paliukėnaitė (Lithuania) highlighted the importance of accelerating renewable deployment to address high energy prices and strengthen energy independence.
Uroš Vajgl, State Secretary for Environmental and Climate Policy of Slovenia, further stressed that decarbonisation directly contributes to energy autonomy and reduced geopolitical exposure, reinforcing the strategic dimension of the transition.
Speakers also underlined the importance of aligning long-term infrastructure investments with short-term affordability concerns to maintain public trust.
- The investment case is strong, but depends on policy certainty and better use of public finance.
While investment momentum is growing, speakers stressed that it remains highly sensitive to policy uncertainty. Alice Steenland, Chief Strategy, Sustainability & Marketing at Signify, warned that policy volatility is “punishing frontrunners,” creating hesitation among companies ready to invest.
From an investor perspective, Peter van der Werf, Head of Active Ownership at Robeco, highlighted that, despite strong opportunities, Europe is still struggling to translate sustainability leadership into consistent financial performance, pointing to gaps in capital markets and investment frameworks.
Jacek Truszczynski, Head of Unit responsible for Net Zero Industries at DG GROW, emphasised that carbon pricing alone is not sufficient and must be complemented by industrial policy tools and better coordination across funding instruments.
Thomas Schoos, Director-General for International, European and Internal Affairs - Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity for Luxembourg, stressed that building confidence requires framing the transition as an economic opportunity and ensuring that public funding is targeted where it is most needed.
Uroš Vajgl (Slovenia) highlighted the importance of using ETS revenues strategically to support industrial decarbonisation, including through conditionality and reinvestment.
Andrew Prag, Managing Director for Policy at the We Mean Business Coalition, added that leading companies are increasingly calling for policy consistency to underpin investment decisions, particularly around electrification.Andrew Prag, Managing Director for Policy at the We Mean Business Coalition, added that leading companies are increasingly calling for policy consistency to underpin investment decisions, particularly around electrification.
- Industrial transformation will depend on scaling up technologies, circularity and sector-specific approaches.
Delivering the transition at scale requires accelerating both mature and emerging technologies, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors. Aira Paliukėnaitė (Lithuania) highlighted the need to support solutions such as hydrogen and carbon capture, which remain critical but underdeveloped.
Ramón Arratia, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ball Corporation, emphasised that circularity and electrification together can significantly reduce energy demand and strengthen competitiveness, particularly in resource- and energy-intensive sectors.
More broadly, speakers stressed the need to complement horizontal policies with sector-specific approaches, strengthen value chains within Europe, and scale enabling technologies to maintain industrial leadership.
- Partnerships across value chains, finance and society are essential to deliver the transition at scale.
Stronger collaboration across actors emerged as a key condition for success. Sofie Eliasson Morsink, Vice-President Stakeholder Relations at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, stressed that companies are ready to invest and “want to decarbonise,” but require clear frameworks and cooperation across value chains.
Carine de Boissezon (EDF) highlighted the importance of building local ecosystems, including skills and jobs, to ensure that the transition delivers tangible benefits for communities.
From a financing perspective, Thomas Schoos (Luxembourg) underlined the role of blended finance and strong support ecosystems in reducing risks and enabling collaboration between public and private actors.
- Rebuilding confidence in the transition requires a clearer and more relatable narrative.
Several speakers pointed to a growing confidence challenge, driven by concerns around costs, energy prices and policy uncertainty. Philip Nugent (Ireland) stressed the need to better communicate that the transition is not only about emissions reductions, but also about “competitiveness, security and better lives for citizens.”
Ursula Woodburn (CLG Europe) emphasised the importance of reinforcing the business and investment case for decarbonisation in a contested political environment.
Elina Bardram (DG CLIMA) added that the climate agenda must be framed as part of a broader project of modernisation and strategic autonomy.
- Accelerating implementation is critical, as the cost of inaction will exceed the cost of transition.
In his closing remarks, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Minister for Climate and Environment for Norway, stressed that climate risks will intensify and that delaying action will increase both economic and societal costs.
He emphasised the need for consistent policies, maintained ambition and faster implementation - particularly on renewable energy deployment - highlighting that energy security and climate action are increasingly aligned.
Looking ahead, he underlined that the coming decades will be decisive for Europe’s ability to scale solutions, strengthen competitiveness and secure long-term resilience.
The Green Growth Partnership (GGP) is a joint initiative between members of CLG Europe and ministers of the Green Growth Group (GGG). The GGP has been convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) for a decade. It provides a forum to promote positive exchange between European Climate and Environment Ministers from the Green Growth Group and businesses, with regular involvement of like-minded high-level representatives from the European Commission and MEPs, and other key stakeholders and opinion formers, determined to support the development of a climate neutral and prosperous Europe.
CLG Europe is convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). CLG Europe develops credible, ambitious positions amongst its membership and deploys effective strategic communications to engage with the highest levels of policy audiences. CLG Europe is diverse in its membership and representative of Europe in both geography and sector, welcoming the innovative talent of SMEs as well as leading established companies. The group works closely with policymakers and maintains a network of sister groups across the EU and works in partnership with some of the largest business-focused organisations in support of climate action as one of the founders of the We Mean Business Coalition, for which it provides the EU policy lead.
During the last 12 years, the Green Growth Partnership convened a number of high-level events bringing together Climate and Environment Ministers, senior EU officials and high-level business representatives. These events include the annual Green Growth Summit, roundtables at COP and high-level dinners.
