EURACTIV's Agenda

of all European Affairs Events, conferences, presentations and workshops.

Post an event here

Hard-to-abate, Essential to Europe: Enabling a Competitive, Decarbonised Cement Sector

Cement Europe
Remind me Printer-friendly version

Date

Wed, 06/10/2026 - 10:00 to 11:30

Event Type

S - Workshop, course

Event Description

Decarbonising Europe’s hard-to-abate industries requires a coherent strategy for industrial carbon management. For the cement sector, where two thirds of emissions stem from unavoidable process reactions, Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is essential and represents about 43% of its CO2 reduction pathway. This makes the timely deployment of CCUS not only a climate imperative, but also a strategic enabler of Europe’s industrial transition. Yet key gaps remain, as today’s EU framework does not provide the infrastructure, regulatory clarity or funding scale needed to enable deployment at pace.
Europe still lacks a coordinated CO2 transport and storage network, permitting remains slow, and storage capacity is uncertain. Clear and enforceable rules on fair access to pipelines and storage sites are also missing. In parallel, funding and de-risking tools fall short of what is required: the sector faces an ETS cost exposure of €97–162 billion between 2023 and 2034, while existing instruments, including the EU Competitiveness Fund and the Innovation Fund, do not match the scale of investment needed. Some installations are also exploring CO2 utilisation routes, which require greater regulatory clarity under the ETS and RED frameworks.
Addressing these challenges requires a coordinated approach across infrastructure planning, permitting, regulation and financing. Overcoming these gaps will be essential to unlock CCUS deployment at scale, enabling the cement sector to deliver on Europe’s climate ambitions while safeguarding industrial competitiveness.
This webinar, organised as a partner event of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), will aim to:
  • identify the main infrastructure gaps preventing the timely deployment of CCUS
  • explore the regulatory clarifications needed for CO2 transport, storage and utilisation
  • assess whether current EU funding and de-risking tools match industrial investment needs
  • discuss how to balance climate ambition with industrial competitiveness
  • provide input and recommendations ahead of upcoming EU legislative and budgetary decisions
For more information click here.