2ZERO SRG hybrid meeting, hosted by Flanders government department Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) under the Belgian EU presidency

On June 25th 2024, the 2Zero States Representatives Group (SRG) convened in Brussels for a hybrid meeting, hosted by the Flanders Government’s Department of Economy, Science, and Innovation (EWI) under the Belgian EU Presidency.

Hilde Vermeulen from EWI welcomed attendees and introduced the Belgian stakeholders participating in this meeting.

Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, Chairwoman of the SRG, set the stage by outlining the group’s ongoing initiatives, emphasising sustainability and innovation in Europe’s transport sector. Stephan Neugebauer, Chairman of EGVIAfor2Zero, followed with insights on maintaining Europe’s competitiveness through cutting-edge transport solutions. The subsequent intervention by Guido Sacchetto from the European Commission’s DG RTD stressed the importance of harmonising regional and EU strategies to maximise impact.

The following session focused on Electromobility in Belgium. Romain Denayer from EV Belgium/AVERE highlighted electromobility actions mainly situated in Flanders, citing strong infrastructure growth and rising EV registrations stimulated by smart fiscal incentives. Joeri Van Mierlo from Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), presented the Beneficiary Perspective, focusing on research projects portfolio management, funding sources and highlighting in detail VUB’s pivotal role in advancing mobility research, particularly in next-generation batteries and smart charging solutions under Horizon.

Guido Sacchetto and Giuliana Fenu (Regional Director for Competitiveness of Piemonte region) introduced the concept of Memorandum of Cooperation and the possibility to implement such collaboration with Piemonte as a “pilot case,” with the aim to align regional activities with EU priorities. Their presentation underscored Piemonte’s robust industrial and R&D capabilities, already closely aligned with 2Zero’s objectives. They emphasised the MoC potential to bolster EU-regional collaboration by maximising funding impact and enhancing research dissemination.

A discussion followed, moderated by Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, on enhancing regional cooperation and transparency. Member States and regional authorities, including Julio Dolado (Spain), Venizelos Efthymiou (Cyprus), Hilde Vermeulen (Belgium), and David Doerr (Germany), shared insights into integrating smart specialisation strategies, encouraging further active alignment of regions with EU and 2Zero priorities.

The next section highlighted projects from the tripartite 2Zero – CCAM – Cities mission. Maria Kamargianni from MaaSLab showcased the METACCAZE project’s AI-driven e-services, complemented by Rubén García from Cartif’s insights into sustainable mobility through the Mobilities4EU project. Carlo Mol from VITO/EnergyVille addressed EV fire safety under the IEA HEV TCP Task49, detailing international efforts to enhance safety protocols for battery fires.

Lucie Beaumel from EGVIAfor2Zero provided information updates on 2Zero events and activities, including updates on 2Zero’s Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda and ongoing projects.

Eleonora Riva Sanseverino concluded by encouraging brainstorming on future initiatives and challenges, framing the gathering as a pilot for EU-regional cooperation in electromobility. She welcomed SRG members’ perspectives on utilising cohesion and regional funds to shape this collaborative vision. Overall, the discussion highlighted a unified commitment to advancing electromobility, enhancing regional synergy, and aligning with EU and 2Zero priorities for a sustainable future. A network reception followed the meeting.