Brussels, 13/10/2026 – Two days before EU leaders meet to discuss competitiveness, Cement Europe says the answer to Europe’s industrial challenge is not a weaker carbon price, but to deliver on the conditions that allow industry to invest. At its annual event, one year after launching the Cement Action Plan, the sector set out what is still missing.
Europe’s cement industry is investing, with more than 120 innovation projects, including carbon capture projects, moving towards deployment. Yet cement imports into the EU have risen from 2.4 Mt in 2016 to 14.2 Mt in 2025 Mt, while exports have dropped by 63% over the same period. A viable business case for these projects in Europe now depends on how a watertight CBAM, the right competitiveness conditions in combination with transition enablers can be secured.
Several of the requests set out in the Cement Action Plan are now reflected in EU proposals and files being negotiated. Cement Europe reaffirms its support for the EU ETS as a market-based instrument that gives long-term investment certainty. The Commission’s ETS review addresses important points: market liquidity beyond 2040, the reinvestment of ETS revenues in industrial decarbonisation, the inclusion of CO₂ capture and transport for use in addition to an inclusion, be it partial and gradual, of municipal waste incinerators and clearer CO₂ accounting. The Industrial Accelerator Act and the Electrification Action Plan also open the way to lead markets and more competitive energy. In parallel, a revision of the CBAM is set to introduce a mechanism to address resource shuffling and circumvention.
We will now need delivery on the following key competitiveness drivers and transition enablers:
- a watertight CBAM, for imports and exports, with effectiveness assessed against KPIs and loopholes closed;
- competitive electricity prices, through lower taxes and levies and investment in grids;
- a full level playing field with waste incinerators and equal access to alternative fuels for all uses combustible waste;
- CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure, available where and when plants need it;
- funding and de-risking at the scale of the investments required;
- lead markets that reward made in EU low-carbon cement and concrete.
Jon Morrish, President of Cement Europe, said: “A year ago we set out what our industry needs to decarbonise while staying in Europe. Many of those requests are now on the table. Our companies are investing. What we need now is delivery, on CBAM, on energy prices and on CO₂ infrastructure, so that these investments can go ahead at scale.”
Meet Cement Europe at the upcoming CarbonZero Global Conference and Exhibition to include Cementitious Materials Congress Europe in Brussels, on October 28 and 29 – email us for details, program or registration at Mariana.gheorghe@industrylink.eu!
Want to know more about decarbonization, sustainable industry trends, and the breakthroughs driving real change? Explore the complete lineup of Industry Link’s 2026 events below:
Cementitious Materials International Technical & Trade Congress – Europe
28–29 October, Brussels, Belgium
A leading EMEA gathering on cementitious materials, market trends, regulatory updates, and regional opportunities.
Women in Cement and Construction International Congress 2026 – EMEA
30 October, Brussels, Belgium
A dedicated forum advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the cement and construction sectors.
Sustainability Conference and Exhibition to include Industry 5.0 – Smart Solutions for Cement and Construction Conference and Exhibition 2026 in São Paulo (World Trade Center)- will convene leading voices from across the global construction, engineering, and infrastructure sectors to address the urgent challenges of decarbonization, embodied carbon reduction, and climate resilience. As the sector undergoes a massive digital shift, this event also focuses on the technologies defining the next generation of building: AI-driven operations, advanced manufacturing, robotics, and human-centric industrial transformation.
Speakers include:
Luciana Arouca – Head of Sustainability Services Brazil & LATAM, JLL
Ana Lúcia Grizzi – Senior Independent Consultant; Coordinator of the Sustainability and Innovation Committee, Votorantim Cimentos
Josilene T. V. Ferrer – Senior Analyst of International Cooperation and Climate Change, CETESB – Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo
Carla Leal – CDP Market Director for LATAM | Board Members
Michal Zuk, Research Hydrogen Specialist, London Stock Exchange Group
Juan Padial – Managing Partner, Digital Supply Chain, KPMG
Felipe Salgado – Managing Partner of Decarbonization, KPMG
Rejane Afonso – Technical and Commercial Director, Monitore
Túlio Henrique de Oliveira Silva, EMBRAPII
Camila Ramos – CEO, CELA – Clean Energy Latin America
Alberto Lima Santos – Digital Technologies Manager, SENAI-SP
Larissa Mello – Sustainability Specialist, Supremo Secil Cimentos
Rodrigo Ramos Tosta – Environmental division, BNDES
Cementitious Materials International Technical & Trade Congress – MEA
8–9 December, Morocco
The premier MEA event for cementitious materials, innovation, and regional trade opportunities.
Speakers include:
- Hicham Safi – Novacim
- Dr.-Ing. Hanane Yaagoubi – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
- Dr. Shashank Bishnoi – Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
- Medhat Mostafa – CEMEX Egypt
- Dr. Mahmoud Abu Elenien – Royal Cement
- Hejji Aljuraysh – Yamama Cement
- Mohammed Elhaddad – LafargeHolcim Maroc
- Rachid Hakkou, Professor Université Cadi Ayyad
- Dr. Hanane Yaagoubi,PhD laureate of Mohammed V University in Rabat, former Resident Researcher at IAS, UM6P.
- American Concrete Institute (ACI)
- Arabian Cement Company Egypt
- Ciments du Maroc
- Sara Dallasta, CEO, Dallasta Consulting
- A³&Co.
- Meta Group of Companies
- NRMCA
