{"id":467545,"date":"2026-10-09T15:23:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T13:23:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2026\/10\/09\/energia-economia-circolare-trasporti-e-finanza-ecco-di-cosa-si-parlera-a-connact-autumn-workshop\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T16:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T14:36:10","slug":"energy-circular-economy-transport-and-finance-these-are-the-topics-to-be-discussed-at-the-connact-autumn-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2026\/10\/09\/energy-circular-economy-transport-and-finance-these-are-the-topics-to-be-discussed-at-the-connact-autumn-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy, circular economy, transport, and finance: these are the topics to be discussed at the Connact Autumn workshop"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\">Brussels \u2013<strong> Energy, finance, the circular economy, and transport <\/strong>are the sectors on which to focus in order to boost the EU\u2019s competitiveness, against a geopolitical backdrop characterised by upheaval, conflicts, and trade tensions. This will be discussed at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.connact.it\/en\/events\/connact\/2026\/autumn-workshop-boosting-european-competitiveness-finance-the-circular-economy-and-transport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connact Autumn Workshop<\/a>, to be held in Brussels <strong>on Tuesday 13 October<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>at the European Parliament. The event will bring together leading representatives from the institutions and the most prominent Italian companies and trade associations to discuss the challenges to be addressed and the solutions to be adopted.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The event will begin at 9.20 am with opening remarks from <strong>Marco Canaparo<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Italy\u2019s Deputy Permanent Representative to the EU. This will be followed, for the first panel, by <strong>\u201cEnergy security on the path to European autonomy\u201d<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>introductory remarks by EU Commission officials <strong>Philippe Lamberts<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Principal Adviser to President von der Leyen on the transition of the economy towards climate neutrality, and <strong>Antonio Lopez Nicolas<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Head of Unit at DG Energy. For the panel <strong>\u201cDeveloping the circular economy: best practices and legislative initiatives\u201d<\/strong>, the session will be introduced by <strong>Stefano Soro<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Head of Unit at the EU Commission\u2019s DG GROW. Following this, the roundtable \u201c<strong>The transport system: balancing sustainability and competitiveness\u201d<\/strong> will be introduced, on behalf of the European Commission, by <strong>Gabriele Giudice <\/strong>from Commissioner Fitto\u2019s cabinet and <strong>Pierpaolo Settembri<\/strong>, deputy head of Commissioner Tzitzikostas\u2019s cabinet. In the final panel: <strong>\u201cThe competitiveness of the financial system and progress on the Savings &amp; Investment Union\u201d<\/strong>, the introductory remarks will be delivered by <strong>Ugo Bassi<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>director at DG Fisma, and <strong>Lauro Panella<\/strong> from the Albuquerque Cabinet.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Focus on Energy. <\/strong>The crises following the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran have shown that, although renewables are growing rapidly, they are not yet sufficient to guarantee the necessary supplies for businesses and citizens. At&nbsp;the <strong>\u201cEnergy security on the path to European autonomy\u201d <\/strong>panel,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>the discussion will focus on the timing and methods for fine-tuning strategies to ensure secure and affordable supplies in the immediate term, while aiming for environmental neutrality and strategic autonomy in the long term. The debate will be attended by MEPs <strong>Stefano Bonaccini<\/strong>,<strong> Paolo Borchia<\/strong>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>and <strong>Nicola Procaccini<\/strong>.<strong> <\/strong>Joining them will be <strong>Michelangelo Nerini <\/strong>from the Permanent Representation of Italy to the EU (RPUE); <strong>Fabio Parola<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>European and International Public Affairs Manager at A2A; <strong>Federico Musazzi <\/strong>from Assoclima; <strong>Luca Franza<\/strong>, Head of EU Institutional Affairs at Edison; <strong>Michele Bologna, <\/strong>Head of European Affairs at Enel; <strong>Lucia Odone, <\/strong>Head of European Government Affairs at Eni; <strong>Valeria Palmisano<\/strong>, Senior Manager of EU Institutional Relations at SNAM, and <strong>Roberto Panico,<\/strong> Head of European Affairs at Terna. The discussion will be moderated by <strong>Giulia Torbidoni, <\/strong>editor-in-chief of <em>Eunews<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Focus on the Circular Economy. <\/strong>A key focus will be the comparison of operators\u2019 best practices with European legislative initiatives to support the circular economy, during the panel discussion <strong>\u201cDeveloping the circular economy: best practices and legislative initiatives\u201d<\/strong>. Italy boasts exemplary models, from water cycle management to materials recycling, but suffers from the absence of a genuine European market for raw materials. Initiatives such as the Circular Economy Act and the Industrial Accelerator Act can help disseminate these experiences and create the regulatory and market conditions for industrial growth based on circularity. At the same time, environmental regulations, such as the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and the Ecodesign Regulation, must be reconciled with the competitiveness needs of strategic industrial sectors. MEPs <strong>Pietro Fiocchi, Alessandra Moretti, Valentina Palmisano and Silvia Sardone<\/strong> will discuss this, alongside <strong>Marica Cicconi<\/strong> from the RPUE and <strong>Salvatore Margiotta <\/strong> representing the Basilicata Region. Joining them will be <strong>Giacomo De Angelis<\/strong>, European and International Public Affairs Professional at A2A; <strong>Federico Musazzi<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Secretary-General of Assoclima; <strong>Simona Fontana<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Director-General of CONAI; <strong>Fabio Marseo<\/strong>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>representing Confartigianato Imprese, President of the Riuso Prato Category and Vice-President of Corertex; <strong>Emanuele Degortes<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Global Head of Access Policy at Menarini and Patient Advocacy &amp; Engagement; <strong>Matteo Magnaghi<\/strong>, Head of Sustainable Product Stewardship for the Pirelli Group; and <strong>Alessandro Sabbini<\/strong>, Head of Institutional Relations at Versalis. Moderated by <strong>Alessandra De Santis, <\/strong>General Coordinator <em>EconomiaCircolare.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Focus on Mobility &amp; Logistics. <\/strong>The roundtable discussion \u201c<strong>The transport system: balancing sustainability and competitiveness\u201d <\/strong>will examine the transport system as a means of tackling climate change while simultaneously promoting the competitiveness of the European economy. Discussions will cover initiatives for ports and the maritime industry; the aviation package, high-speed rail and single ticketing. The roundtable will also address the AFIR Regulation and the decarbonisation of road transport. Speakers will include MEPs <strong>Carlo Fidanza<\/strong> and <strong>Matteo Ricci<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>alongside <strong>Raffaele Latrofa<\/strong>, president of the Port System Authority for the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, and <strong>Alberto La Bella <\/strong>from RPUE. They will be joined by <strong>Francesca Marcacci Balestrazzi<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>from AISCAT\u2019s legal &amp; international affairs department; <strong>Massimiliano Calamea<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>head of EU &amp; international public affairs at Autostrade per l\u2019Italia; <strong>Maria Cristina Scarfia<\/strong>, head of European affairs at Confetra; <strong>Andrea Minuto Rizzo<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>head of European Union and international institutional affairs at Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane; <strong>Luca Sciacchitano<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Head of Industrial Affairs at Leonardo SpA, and <strong>Matteo Magnaghi<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Head of Sustainable Product Stewardship at the Pirelli Group. The discussion will be moderated by <strong>Lorenzo Robustelli, <\/strong>editor-in-chief of <em>Eunews<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Focus on Finance &amp; Insurance.<\/strong> The final panel: <strong>\u201cThe competitiveness of the financial system and progress on the Savings &amp; Investment Union\u201d<\/strong>, dedicated to the competitiveness of the European financial system and progress on the Savings &amp; Investment Union, based on the Commission\u2019s recent report on the banking sector. The session will focus on the review of the banking package and pension fund regulations, with contributions from MEPs <strong>Giovanni Crosetto, Irene Tinagli<\/strong>,<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>and<strong> Pasquale Tridico<\/strong>.<strong> <\/strong>Joining them will be <strong>Stefano Cappiello, Director-General for Financial System Regulation and Supervision at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF)<\/strong>.<strong> <\/strong>Other speakers will include: <strong>Antonella Massari, <\/strong>Secretary-General and member of the Board of Directors of AIPB; <strong>Alessandra Casale, <\/strong>head of Assonime\u2019s Brussels office; <strong>Sergio Gatti, <\/strong>Director-General of Federcasse; <strong>Virginia Di Marco, <\/strong>EU Affairs Manager at Generali; <strong>Marco Boscolo, <\/strong>Head of European Regulatory &amp; Public Affairs at Intesa Sanpaolo; and <strong>Stefano Genovese<\/strong>,<strong> <\/strong>Head of Institutional &amp; Public Affairs at Unipol. The discussion will be moderated by <strong>Enrico Tibuzzi<\/strong>, journalist and former head of the <em>ANSA<\/em> bureau in Brussels.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>The Connact Autumn Workshop <\/strong>is an event organised in collaboration with the European Parliament\u2019s Liaison Office in Italy. Sponsored by: A2A, AISCAT, AIPB, Assoclima, Assonime, Autostrade per l\u2019Italia, CONAI, Confartigianato Imprese, Confetra, Edison, Enel, Eni, Federcasse, Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, Generali, Intesa Sanpaolo, Leonardo SpA, Menarini, Pirelli Group, RPUE, SNAM, Terna, Unipol and Versalis. Under the patronage of: the Ministry of Enterprise and &#8220;Made in Italy&#8221;, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em>Agence Europe, Canale Energia, Insurzine, Money and Gazzetta Logistica<\/em> are <strong>media partners <\/strong>of the initiative.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Boosting European competitiveness.  The event, which will be attended by European policy-makers and Italian stakeholders, will take place at the European Parliament on 13 October<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":461913,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"1","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","show_comment_section":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"0","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":""},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25705],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-467545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":467546,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467545\/revisions\/467546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/461913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}