Corporate Leaders Groups

Delighted to meet Minister Darragh O'Brien TD, Philip Nugent, Timmy Dooley and the team at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment yesterday for a valuable discussion on Ireland’s preparations for its incoming Presidency of the Council of the EU. At a pivotal moment for Europe’s climate, energy and competitiveness agenda, it was encouraging to exchange views on key policy files that will help shape the years ahead, including the EU ETS, electrification, industrial competitiveness, circular economy, and energy efficiency and security. We particularly welcomed the strong emphasis on collaboration between government and business in delivering ambitious yet practical outcomes for Europe’s transition. Stable, coherent and predictable policy frameworks will be essential to unlocking investment, accelerating implementation and strengthening resilience across the EU. Thank you to Minister Darragh O'Brien TD, Philip Nugent, and the wider team for the very warm welcome and for such an engaging and forward-looking discussion. We look forward to continuing the dialogue with the Irish Presidency in the months ahead. Oonagh Buckley, Martina Hennessy, Roni H., Fleming Voetmann, Ramon Arratia, Vanessa Butani, Helle Herk-Hansen, Mario Giordano, Fiona Duggan, Fredrik Hedström, Niamh Gallagher, Brook Riley, Alexandre Marty, Miguel Ángel Muñoz Rodríguez, Agnes Borg, Elisabeth Hoffmann, Ursula Woodburn, Adeline Rochet, Andrés Charry, Alice Charles, Tomás Sercovich, Zoe Kavanagh #CircularEconomy #Electrification #Competitiveness #Resilience #EnergySecurity

European businesses want the #ETS to be strengthened, not weakened.   As the EU reviews its carbon pricing system, the ETS is facing growing political pressure. Some are questioning its role, citing the “carbon cost” for industry.   As the European Union is adapting its climate legislation to be fully aligned with the target of 90% GHG reduction by 2040, this is not the time to dial down on ambition. The ETS has already driven significant emissions reductions - particularly in the power sector - and remains central to Europe’s climate and economic strategy.   In our latest position, Corporate Leaders Groups and its members make a clear case that a strong, stable and predictable ETS can:   🔓Unlock private investment 🚀Acelerate innovation 📉Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels 💪Strengthen Europe’s industrial competitiveness We call for reform that: 🛡️Protects the integrity and credibility of the ETS 💡Strengthens the wider enabling framework - including electrification, clean infrastructure and affordable low-carbon energy 💵Ensures strategic use of ETS revenues to support industrial transformation   The EU ETS is not just a climate tool - it is a strategic economic instrument. As part of the EU’s post-2030 framework, reform must reinforce its effectiveness and ensure alignment with policies like CBAM to create a competitive, investable and decarbonised economy.   Read the full position: https://lnkd.in/efwTcR7J   Ingka Group | IKEA, Iberdrola, EDF, AVEVA, Vattenfall, SSAB, Volvo Cars, ACCIONA, Amazon, Ball Corporation, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Google, Microsoft, VELUX, ROCKWOOL Group, Signify, Unilever, H&M, Henkel, Nexi Group, Salesforce #CleanIndustrialDeal #EnergyTransition #EuropeanCommission

I had the pleasure of joining lawyers from around the world at the International Bar Association SEERIL Biennial Conference in Brussels last week to discussing the legal implications of EU ESG rules. And honestly, lawyers ask the right questions. While much of the policy debate in Europe is stuck in unravelling some of the progress made on transparency, legal practitioners are already debating accountability, liability and enforceability, who is responsible when transition risks are ignored. We discussed climate litigation cases against Shell and Total, but also increasingly against financial institutions such as BNP Paribas in France. Sustainability is undoubtedly becoming a question of legal and financial accountability. That is why the next phase of EU sustainable finance cannot just be about reporting. It needs to become far more focused on transition credibility, governance and enforceable accountability. As usual, I was in great company. Thank you to Sonia Stoyanova and Kevin Munungu for the invite.

Last week, we had a very constructive exchange with Martin Engell-Rossen, Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Jørgensen, together with representatives from leading companies across the energy value chain including EDF, ROCKWOOL Group, Ingka Investments, VELUX and Microsoft. With a focus on the electrification target, the discussion explored the forthcoming Electrification Action Plan (EAP) and how to accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels to support a resilient and competitive EU economy. The meeting was an opportunity to present the statement from 70 businesses and business organisations released on 21 May to scale up electrification, including a 50% electrification target of final energy use by 2040.  Read the EU Statement on Electrification: https://lnkd.in/e53qTmM2 Some takeaways from the conversation: 🔌 Electrification is gaining real traction  There is clear political momentum for electrification, including from businesses that increasingly produce and demand electricity. The challenge now is ensuring that the right political frameworks are set to deliver increased electrification across sectors and the energy supply chain. The upcoming Electrification Action Plan is an opportunity to bring us closer to delivery.  💶 Addressing pricing, financing mechanisms and investments:  The price gap between fossil fuels and clean electricity continues to slow progress. Scaling electrification will require stronger price signals, and addressing taxation.  It will also involve financing mechanisms that will stimulate investments in grid capacity.  ⚡ A holistic approach and system readiness is critical  While increasing electrification at scale requires the development of clean technologies, it also calls for a system-wide approach: robust carbon pricing, scaling up energy efficiency to reduce overall demand, and infrastructure fit for purpose, including modern and flexible grids, capable of integrating growing demand such as data centres. Digitalisation and flexibility will be critical for this system to work efficiently. 🤝 Constructive engagement is essential  Business and policymaker engagement is essential to shape a realistic and actionable pathway, alongside concrete proposals to make electrification work in practice. CLG Europe will continue to work to advance electrification in the EU for a secure energy future. Marion Labatut Brook Riley Elisabeth Hoffmann Ornella Cosomati-Koschwitz Peter van der Poel Ursula Woodburn Romain Pardo Martina Mazzini

Nature is a vital infrastructure for a competitive and resilient economy, and a largely undervalued asset in the current proposition for the next EU budget. There is still time to improve it, and we stand ready to support EU officials in that sense 🇪🇺🌿👇

🎡London Climate Action Week 2026 is approaching - and we're pleased to be part of global event to mobilise whole-of-society climate action and market transformation. We’ll be convening leaders, partners and innovators across London through a series of events focused on turning ambition into action - from sustainable finance and insurability to clean electrification, AI, green skills and systems change. Alongside our own convenings, CISL experts will contribute to key discussions shaping the future of business, policy and markets during the week. Join us at London Climate Action Week to show what’s possible when coalitions come together to tackle shared challenges - bringing together world-leading expertise across sectors to drive real progress. Explore our events here👉https://lnkd.in/df_4bJHv If you’re attending, we’d be delighted to connect - let us know in the comments 👇 #LCAW2026 #LCAW #CISLLCAW Centre for Sustainable Finance (CISL) Corporate Leaders Groups Canopy (CISL) Lindsay Hooper James Cole Eliot Whittington Jie Zhou Viola Jardon Beverley Cornaby Viola A. Meyerweissflog Dr Nina Seega Felicity Alvey Gwyn Rhodes Elliot Cyriax Annisa Sekaringtias Ainslie MacLeod Adele Williams Ursula Woodburn Climate Action

📢 Today, more than 70 leading businesses and business organisations are calling for an EU target of 50% electrification of final energy use by 2040, ahead of the release of the European Commission’s Electrification Action Plan. In this joint statement, coordinated by CLG Europe, signatories urge EU leaders to seize the electrification opportunity to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, energy security and resilience, calling for urgent action to scale up electrification across Europe. As global competition intensifies and other major economies move rapidly to capture the benefits of electrification, Europe risks falling behind. For too long, the EU has remained highly dependent on imported and volatile fossil fuels. Clean electrification offers a more secure, innovative and predictable energy system, reducing exposure to fossil fuel price shocks for households and businesses. The EU Statement on Electrification calls for: 🏭 A stronger EU-level strategic approach to clean industrial leadership powered by decarbonised and domestic clean energy generation 🎯 A 2040 target for 50% electrification of final energy use ⚡ A 2040 energy efficiency goal to support the decrease of fossil fuels 💶 Stable and effective economic signals, including a robust EU ETS and targeted financing 🌐 A push to digitalise electricity distribution networks to improve visibility, flexibility and grid resilience Together, these actions can help ensure Europe builds an energy system that is affordable for consumers, attractive for investors and resilient in a changing geopolitical context. 📄 Read the statement: https://lnkd.in/e53qTmM2 #AccelerateElectrification Ingka Group | IKEA, Iberdrola, EDF, AVEVA, Vattenfall, SSAB, Volvo Cars, ACCIONA, Amazon, Ball Corporation, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Google, Microsoft, VELUX, ROCKWOOL Group, Signify, Unilever, H&M, Henkel, Nexi Group, Salesforce, Danfoss, Fortum, SAP, Aldersgate Group, BCSD Portugal - Conselho Empresarial para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Business in the Community Ireland, CER - Sustainable Business Network, Climate Leadership Coalition, Future Up, Skift - Næringslivets klimaledere, Grupo Español para el Crecimiento Verde, Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft, Systemiq Ltd., BSR, EDP, France renouvelables, E-Mobility Europe, European Heat Pump Association, Energy Storage Europe

A few further thoughts on the excellent Climate Change Committee 'Well adapted UK' report. I think it really clearly sets out some core things that we all need to understand. For me these are: ▶️ Climate change is happening now. It is already making us poorer, less healthy and less safe. ▶️ The future is not the same as the past. We have locked in a level of future warming that cannot be avoided. We need to adapt to cope with that. ▶️ We can do it! There are a series of actions that we can all take to make life more comfortable, to head off risks and impacts. We should do so! We really need to get on with this as a priority. ▶️ But we can't adapt to everything. Some of the impacts we don't understand yet - we don't know how risks will interact and cascade through the system. We don't know what society's risk appetite Some of the warming impacts will just change things. We need to have an open discussion about this - it can't be allowed to sneak up on people. We also need to talk about where society's appetite for risk is. The UK, alongside many other industrialised countries, has not the best recent history when it comes to doing what's necessary to manage future risks. This report could not be a clearer warning not to do this with climate impacts or more helpful to-do list of how to prepare. Let's hope it's heeded. https://lnkd.in/eatydjSG

⚡Three energy shocks in four years should settle the argument: it’s time for Europe to run its economy on clean, homegrown electricity. Europe has every reason to commit to it now. It has the technologies, the talent,and the funds. What it’s lacking is a shared vision to get there. That’s why we're signing, along with a coalition of leading businesses and organizations including Norrsken VC, Norrsken Evolve, Norrsken Foundation, H&M, Oatly, Einride, terralayr, Flower, Fever, trawa, Blykalla, Cleantech for Europe and Cemvision, the call for Europe to become the world’s first electro-continent, by committing to running over 50% of its economy on clean domestic electricity by 2040. This isn't only about shielding Europe from the next crisis: in a time where innovation, intelligence, and talent flow to where electricity is cheapest, Europe is currently paying the highest price. Read the full letter, and join the call here https://ow.ly/wR2150YZGqN #EUEnergy #Electrification