Activating Lead Markets: A Demand-Side Strategy for Competitive Low-Carbon Industries
Thursday, 4 December 2025, 8:00 – 9:30, European Parliament, Brussels, MEP Salon Area
In its Communication on a Clean Industrial Deal (CID), presented on 26 February 2025, the European Commission identified lead markets as a key business driver for a competitive, resilient, and decarbonised European economy. The CID recognises the importance of an integrated value chain approach to strengthen industrial ecosystems and highlights the need for demand-side measures to create a solid business case for low-carbon products. It places emphasis on the use of non-price criteria in public procurement and incentives for private purchases, including voluntary carbon footprint labelling. Building on this foundation, the forthcoming Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) – expected in Q4 2025 – will incorporate the lead markets initiative and focus on energy-intensive industries, with possible extensions to downstream sectors. The IAA’s pillars aim to streamline permitting for industrial decarbonisation projects, promote priority clusters, and establish protected European lead markets through sustainability criteria, procurement measures, and incentives for low-carbon industrial products and clean feedstocks.
Therefore, the event will convene representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission, energy-intensive industries, and civil society to engage in an open dialogue on the design of effective European lead markets for low-carbon products. Participants will explore policy measures to unlock demand across industrial value chains and discuss how complementary initiatives can support the IAA’s objectives. The programme will feature an opening speech by the hosting MEP, a speech by the European Commission on the IAA, and a presentation by Energie Nederland on demand-side policies for low-carbon investments. A reaction panel with MEPs and more representatives will highlight sectoral priorities, showcase success stories, and identify barriers to scaling up decarbonised production. All in all, the discussion will foster exchange on potential public-private collaboration and actionable policy recommendations to support competitive, sustainable, and future-proof European industrial ecosystems.
Final agenda
Event moderated by Ilias Grampas, Deputy Director, EBCD, Secretariat of the
MEP Group on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development’
08:00 – 08:10 | Opening remarks by MEP Jeannette Baljeu (Renew)
08:10 – 08:25 | Ijmert Muilwijk, Programme Manager Gas Market and Hydrogen, Energie Nederland –
Presentation of report findings on how to design demand-side policies to advance investments in low-carbon products for competitive European energy-intensive industries.
08:25 – 09:00 | Panel
• Luc Haustermans, VP Corporate Affairs & Industry Relations, Yara International
• Hans Grünfeld, Chair, IFIEC
• Irene Domínguez Pérez, Lead Markets & Embodied Carbon, Bellona
09:05 – 09:25 | Q&A with the audience
09:25 – 09:30 | Closing remarks by MEP Jeannette Baljeu (Renew)
See the full concept note here
