Agenda

1 December 2025

2 December 2025

13:00

Registration

14:00

Opening keynotes

  • Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
  • Carsten Schneider, Minister for the Environment of the Federal Republic of Germany
14:30

Keynote: mapping the invisible (Earth observation and clean air)

  • Florence Rabier, Director General of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts
14:40

Demo: Copernicus for clean air

This 10 to 20-minute demonstration of the features of the Sentinel satellites launched in 2025, especially Sentinel-4 and Sentinel-5. One main objective of these missions is to monitor key air quality trace gases and aerosols over Europe in support of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) at high spatial resolution and with a fast revisit time.

15:00

Earth observation and clean air

This moderated panel discussion with a focus on how cutting-edge Earth observation technologies are reshaping our understanding and management of air quality. This session will highlight the pivotal role of satellite data and remote sensing in identifying pollution sources, assessing environmental impacts, and guiding effective policy responses.

  • Leena Ylä-Mononen, Executive Director of the European Environment Agency
  • Rune Floberghagen, Head of Climate Action, Sustainability & Science Department, ESA
  • Karen Florschütz, Head of Connected Intelligence and a member of the Executive Committee at Airbus Defence and Space
  • Eloise Marais, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality at UCL
  • Eoin Moran, Chair of the EUMETSAT Council
16:00

Coffee Break

16:30

Artificial intelligence & machine learning for air quality analysis

This moderated panel discussion will explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence and machine learning in air quality analysis and assessment. This session delves into cutting-edge technologies that enable precise monitoring, predictive modelling, and innovative solutions to improve air quality and public health outcomes.

  • Peter Dueben, Head of Earth System Modelling Research, ECMWF
  • Bruno Sánchez-Andrade Nuño, Executive Director of Clay (AI for Earth Non-Profit)
  • Martin Schultz, Head of research group Earth System Data Exploration and co-lead of division Large Scale Data Science, Forschungszentrum Juelich
  • [TBC] , Panelist from an international organisation working with AI
17:15

Clean air innovation and investments for a competitive Europe

This moderated panel discussion will reflect on European competitiveness, and what role clean air plays in this context. Although Europe is a world leader in clean tech innovation, this is not (yet) translating into manufacturing superiority for clean tech. Meanwhile, investments into cleaner air translate into improved quality of life, which can offer competitive advantages in a global market.

  • Kumi Kitamori, Deputy Director, OECD Environment Directorate, OECD
  • Mikael Skou Andersen, Professor University of Aarhus
  • [TBC], Panelist from a business organization
  • [TBC], Representative of a regional / city government
18:00

Reception

  • with Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy
09:00

Registration

09:30

Opening keynotes

10:00

Do our policies work? Evaluation of the NEC Directive

This moderated panel discussion, including a ten-minute summary of the main findings of the evaluation of the National Emission reduction Commitments Directive, will reflect on whether our clean air policies deliver benefits for our society and economy.

  • Patrick Child, Deputy Director-General of DG ENV (European Commission)
  • Annemarie Lauritsen, Permanent Secretary and Head of Department of the Ministry for environment and gender equality of Denmark
  • Dominique Pritula, Chair of the Executive Body of the UNECE Air Convention
  • Patrick ten Brink, Secretary-General at the European Environmental Bureau
10:45

Coffee Break

11:15

Keynote: think European, act regionally (especially on clean air)

  • Oliver Krischer, Environment Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
11:30

Regional action on clean air

This moderated panel discussion focusses on the specific challenges regional (sub-national) authorities face when looking to implement effective clean air policies. Regions vary significantly as to how much of their air pollution originates within the regions as to how much is transported into them from other regions – but they share similar administrative challenges. This session explores the differences and commonalities of regional challenges and action taken across the EU.

  • Jane Burston, Chief Executive Officer, Clean Air Fund
  • Piotr Szymański, Director Energy, Transport and Climate, DG JRC (European Commission)
  • Stientje van Veldhoven, Regional Director, World Resources Institute
  • [TBC], Panellist from a regional / city government
12:30

Lunch Break

14:00

Climate policy & air policy, two sides of the same coin?

14:15

Super pollutants - bad for climate and bad for air

This moderated panel discussion on the role of ‘super pollutants’ (including methane, black carbon) in air pollution and in climate change. They tend to have a global warming potential that is far higher than carbon dioxide but – by comparison – are less in the public (and policy) focus. At the same time, they adversely impact air quality, whilst being impossible to manage without hemispheric and/or global cooperation. This session explores what we know about these super pollutants (and what we do not know), and whether we can design more effective measures.

  • Zorana Andersen, University of Copenhagen and European Respiratory Society
  • Paolo Laj, Global Atmosphere Watch Programme, World Meteorological Organization
  • Martina Otto, Head of Secretariat, Climate and Clean Air Coalition, UNEP
  • [TBC], Panellist from an international organization
15:00

Improving how we talk about clean air and health in cities

This moderated panel discussion focusses on the conversation around clean air and public health. It delves into the critical role that effective communication plays in raising awareness and driving action on air quality issues within our cities – and explores strategies for making air pollution and its health impacts more relatable to diverse urban populations. By connecting public health insights with everyday urban experiences, this session aims to catalyze a more vibrant and impactful dialogue on clean air as a fundamental component of healthy city living.

  • Frank Kelly, Professor at Imperial College London
  • [TBC], Panellist from a policy-science agency
  • [TBC], Panellist from of a regional / city government
  • [TBC], Panellist from from an international organization
15:45

Closing address

16:00

End of the Forum