Event
12.10.2026
CEOE European Office, Square de Meeûs 28, 1000 Brussels

Important Projects of Common European Interest: Business recommendations for the way forward

Corporate and legal affairsCompetition and state aid

Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) feature prominently in the Draghi and Letta reports and the EU’s Competitiveness Compass. As the European Commission’s mandate approaches its halfway point, now is a timely moment to take stock: are IPCEIs delivering on their potential?

Join us for a discussion on how IPCEIs, when BusinessEurope will also present the findings of its survey on companies’ experiences with IPCEIs, the challenges they face and recommendations for making the framework more effective. Business representatives will also share their first-hand perspectives.

Co-organised by BusinessEurope and our member, the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), the event will explore how IPCEIs are working in practice and how the framework can be improved. BusinessEurope will present the findings of its survey on companies’ experiences with IPCEIs, the challenges they face and recommendations for making the framework more effective. Business representatives will also share their first-hand perspectives.

12 October 2026, 12.00-14.00 CET*

*A light Spanish themed lunch will be served between 12.00 and 12.40

 

12.00-12.40 Cocktail lunch
12.40-12.45 Opening remarks

  • Markus J. Beyrer, Director General, BusinessEurope
12.45-13.00 Keynote speech 

  • Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President, European Commission
13.00-13.10 Presentation of BusinessEurope Paper and recommendations

  • Pedro Oliveira, Director for Legal Affairs, BusinessEurope
13.10-13.55 Round Table and Q&A: experiences and views of companies that have participated in the IPCEI framework

  • Anna Ryabokon, Senior Director Innovation and Funding, Infineon Technologies Austria AG
  • Paul Olivier, Head of Subsidies Management, Uniper SE
  • Adrià Salvador Palau, Cofounder of Lace Lithography
  • Ute John, Head of Trade and Industrial Policies, Mercedes-Benz Group AG
  • Yizhou Ren, Head of Unit, IPCEIs Environment & Innovation I, DG COMP

Followed by a Q&A with the audience

13.55-14.00 Closing remarks

  • Isabel Yglesias, Chair of BusinessEurope State Aid Working Group
14.00 Networking coffee