Hannover - A large share of EU research and innovation funding will go to Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) between industry and the European Commission in the future. This notably concerns the budget of the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, which succeeds the 7th framework program for research. Brussels’ hopes for bioeconomy are placed in the “PPP in biobased industries” which the EU Commissioner for Research must determine during the first half of 2013. Climate, environment and energy policy all play a major part in this multidisciplinary theme.

The European network FTP is spearheading this process, which should highlight the innovation potential and strategic issues and challenges facing Europe’s forestry, paper and wood industries, and serve to sustainably strengthen them and enhance their competitiveness. The EU has been encouraging industry for years to use technology platforms to develop strategies and concrete implementation ideas for individual sectors. Some two dozen such industry sector platforms have since been formed, including the Forest-based Sector Technology Platform (FTP) and its various national FTP platforms.

The FTP was created in 2004 at the initiative of the three largest European forest-based sector interest groups: the European Confederation of woodworking industries (CEI-Bois), the Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) and the Confederation of European Forest Owners (CEPF), and quickly gained official recognition by the European Commission. All major industry, science and policy players are represented. The industry highlights at LIGNA how market participants from the various EU member states define sector-specific guidelines, and how the forest-based sector actively participates in shaping future EU incentive programs.

Preliminary agenda

Moderator: Dr. Christian Patermann

10:00 a.m.: Arrival/registration

10:30 a.m.: Welcome and introduction to the topic

10:30 a.m.: Dr. Christian Patermann, European Commission Research Director, ret., Brussels

10:40 a.m.: Stephan Weil (tbc), Premier of the State of Lower Saxony, Hannover

10:50 a.m.: Horizon and Europe 2020

The European strategy

10:50 a.m. Michal Jarczynski, CEO of Arctic Paper, PL-Poznan and Chairman of the High Level Group of the Forest-based Sector Technology Platform (FTP) Brussels

11:10 a.m. Pia Bucella, Director for Nature, Biodiversity & Land Use at the European Commission (Environment DG), Brussels

11:30 a.m. Bernd Lange, Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur for European Industrial Policy, Brussels

11:50 a.m.: Coffee break

The German strategy

12:10 p.m.: Ilse Aigner (tbc), German Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Berlin

12:30 p.m.: Hans-Michael Goldmann (tbc), Member of the German Bundestag and Chairman of the Committee for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Berlin

12:45 p.m.: Johannes Remmel, Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia, Dusseldorf

1:00 p.m.: N.N., Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate Protection for the State of Lower Saxony, Hannover or N.N., Minister of Food, Agriculture, Consumer Protection and State Development for the State of Lower Saxony, Hannover

1:15 p.m.: Summary of the day and joint conclusion with light lunch

Source: Ligna