OpenLobby.EU
Explore

Agora Think Tanks gGmbH

Agora Think Tanks develops science-based policy proposals for decarbonising all economic sectors through dialogue with stakeholders.

Lobbying Activity

Agora Think Tanks urges EU limits on junk food marketing

18 Dec 2025
Topic — EU review of rules governing audiovisual media services and digital content marketing.
Message — The organization calls for mandatory EU-level regulation to limit unhealthy food marketing. Rules should cover children over twelve and include digital media and sponsorships.12
Why — EU-wide rules would create a level playing field for sustainable food policies.3
Impact — Food producers and advertisers lose the ability to target children with unhealthy snacks.4
Read full response

Meeting with Philippe Lamberts (Principal Adviser Inspire, Debate, Engage and Accelerate Action)

4 Dec 2025 · Briefing by Agora Energiewende on their latest research works

Meeting with Beatriz Yordi (Director Climate Action)

18 Nov 2025 · Discussion on ETS1/ETS2 and Social Leasing for Heat Pumps

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Germanwatch and

30 Oct 2025 · Klimaziel 2040

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Oct 2025 · Automotive Package

Response to Heating and cooling strategy

9 Oct 2025

Please find our feedback attached.
Read full response

Response to Electrification Action Plan

8 Oct 2025

Direct electrification technologies expected to be available by 2035 could meet 90 percent of the energy demand not yet electrified by European industry. This amounts to 1 860 TWh of fuel demand, with gas accounting for 35%. In contrast, in 2019, electricity accounted for just 4% of industrial heat demand in the EU. Technologies readily available today, such as heat pumps and electric arc furnaces, could already deliver more than 60 percent of this demand. Heat pumps and electric boilers can already generate up to 200 and 500 degrees Celsius, respectively, for chemical processes and most of light industrys needs. Electric arc furnaces are widely employed for steel production at 1 800 degrees. Technologies such as resistance heating, induction heating and electric steam crackers will become available in the coming years and cover all ranges, from 100 to 2 500 degrees. To tap into this potential, quickly ramping up technologies for the direct electrification of process heat at all temperature levels is key. The electrification of industrial process heat is central to Europes security, competitiveness, and climate goals. By reducing reliance on imported natural gas and shifting resources from fossil fuels imports to enhance power system resilience, it enhances energy security while strengthening industry. Electrification can also boost competitiveness, if a predictable policy framework to reduce the electricity-to-gas price ratio is provided. With zero on-site emissions, higher efficiency of electric appliances, and the rapid decarbonization of Europes power sector, it accelerates decarbonization. Moreover, coupled with demand flexibility enabled by storage and hybrid solutions, industrial electrification can reduce costs for industrial consumers by supporting a shift in consumption from hours with high process and low renewables outputs to hours with abundant renewable output and low or negative prices. The Electrification Action Plan constitutes an opportunity to tackle key barriers that hinder industrial electrification. While direct electrification is expected to be more efficient and cost-competitive than rival solutions such as hydrogen or biomass in the mid-to-long term, it also presents challenges. These include: the high cost of electricity rel¬ative to gas in several EU Member States; delays and costs associated with the expansion of and connection to the distribution grid; the high capex associated with retrofitting and reconfiguring aspects of production lines; relative inexperience and conservatism at firm level; and inverse incentives including the zero rating of biomass emis¬sions in the EU ETS, incentives for waste incineration and gas-fuelled combined heat and power, and grid charges disincentivising demand response. An Electrification Action Plan is needed to address the economic, infrastructural, and organisational barriers to direct electrification of industrial process heat. Major elements include establishing an industrial alliance to facilitate market introduction of technologies; set¬ting indicative deployment targets and net zero standard to enhance demand visibility and enable investments across the whole electrification value chain. Funding schemes should explicitly support direct electrification projects, to compensate the electricity-fossil fuels cost gap in the short term and prevent waves of reinvestment in fossil fuel appliances, which would lock in external dependence, emissions, and higher costs over the long term. Regulators should integrate electrification in grid planning and facilitate industrys access to the grid. A predictable pathway for the reduction of the electricity-to-gas price ratio comprising RES deployment and grid reinforcement, a reduction of electricity non-energy price components, and the continued implementation of carbon pricing under ETS1 and ETS2 is essential. Finally, public-private partnerships can play a key role in de-risking investments.
Read full response

Meeting with Lukasz Kolinski (Director Energy)

25 Sept 2025 · Agora's comprehensive energy infrastructure modelling

Agora Think Tanks urges EU green iron trade strategy

11 Sept 2025
Topic — This initiative shapes the EU's global climate and energy strategy through 2029.
Message — Agora recommends a strategy to develop international green iron trade. They propose integrating green iron into trade partnerships and raw materials legislation.123
Why — This strategy would lower production costs and maintain European steel competitiveness.45
Impact — Traditional coal-based producers will struggle against cheaper, cleaner international supply chains.6
Read full response

Meeting with Anne-Maud Orlinski (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen), Kamil Talbi (Cabinet of Commissioner Dan Jørgensen)

31 Jul 2025 · Grids

Response to Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act

8 Jul 2025

[Please see the attached document for the full response] The EU-ETS requires the full transformation to a climate neutral industry by 2040, relying on increasing demand for climate-friendly products including for steel, cement, plastics and ammonia. However, demand for such materials by relevant end-use sectors is currently still low. To this effect, policy instruments to boost green lead markets by stimulating demand are needed to get Europe on track for industrial decarbonisation. Establishing green lead markets requires a suite of policy instruments to kick start market demand for climate neutral basic materials, from stringent product standards, transparent carbon accounting and reporting requirements and low-carbon labels to target-setting measures such as performance standards, embodied carbon limits and minimum content requirements. Targeting both public and private procurement is crucial to capture a critical material market share and maximise the impact. The construction, automotive and fertiliser sectors are ideal candidates to scale up green lead markets. Decarbonising their material needs can rely on investment-ready technologies, such as H2-DRI-EAF for primary steel, low-carbon cement, defossilised plastics and low-carbon ammonia-based fertilisers. These three strategic end use sectors not only absorb substantial volumes of the mentioned materials. They will also have only limited impact on end consumer prices. An average 60% of steel, plastics, aluminium and cement production go into the buildings, construction, packaging and automotive sectors. In terms of cost premiums, using low-carbon steel or cement will increase the cost of buildings and cars by 1 - 3%. IDAA should set new requirements for climate-friendly materials while complementing the implementation of existing policy files including the CPR, ESPR and EPBD. This should include (1) product level criteria for steel and concrete used in construction (2) recycled content requirements for long steel products used in construction, (3) minimum content requirements for low-carbon steel and plastics for automotive and (4) mandatory labels for low-carbon steel and concrete. Recycled content requirements for post-consumer steel and plastic used in automotive should be dealt with through the ELV directive. Minimum EU content requirements should always be combined with stringent sustainability criteria. Focus should be on end-use sectors with substantive demand, significant emissions reduction potential, economic benefit for both basic material and final product sectors and strategic importance regarding security of supply and resilience. For basic materials, content requirements could be set for low-carbon primary and recycled steel as well as low-carbon and recycled plastics.
Read full response

Meeting with Gijs Schilthuis (Director Agriculture and Rural Development)

4 Jul 2025 · Reform CAP, carbon farming, animal welfare

Meeting with Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jun 2025 · Austausch

Meeting with Beatriz Yordi (Director Climate Action)

30 Jun 2025 · ETS2

Response to Towards a Circular, Regenerative and Competitive Bioeconomy

23 Jun 2025

In the attached, please find the contribution by Agora Think Tanks to this consultation: "Biomass and land use in a competitive, resilient and sustainable bioeconomy". The main messages from the response are: 1. The current Bioeconomy strategy falls short of contributing to the EUs climate and environmental objectives. A competitive and innovative bioeconomy in Europe relies on a sustainable supply of biomass from agriculture and forestry. However, current projections of the demand for biomass exceed the sustainable supply potential, exacerbating land use trade-offs. The EU will need a robust and comprehensive framework that effectively guides limited biomass resources from primary production to end uses while promoting circularity and fostering ecosystems services. 2. Addressing biomass and land use constraints will require three key actions along the value chains: First, diversifying biomass sources. Second, steering biomass use away from energy and towards materials, while prioritising long-lasting material uses and focusing on hard-to-electrify applications like high-temperature process heat and aviation. And third, promoting sustainable demand for food and feed, including a shift in food consumption towards more plant-rich diets and a reduction and re-use of food waste. 3. The review of the Bioeconomy strategy is an opportunity for Europe to transform key value chains and strengthen its clean technological leadership. Significant potentials can be found in developing a higher level of forest resilience and flexibility of forest management practices and related value chains, lowering the carbon footprint of buildings, moving towards the defossilisation of plastics together with recycling, improving nutrient cycles and the management of greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture. 4. The new Bioeconomy strategy will need to ground its actions in a comprehensive and cross-sectoral assessment of current and future biomass supply and demand. A Biomass roadmap together with a governance framework for biomass and land use will be crucial to coordinate actions at EU, member state, regional and local levels and set the direction and pace towards a competitive, resilient and sustainable bioeconomy. Incentivising synergies between biomass production and provision of ecosystem services, unlocking the untapped potential of food innovation and fostering the material use of biomass will create new economic opportunities in rural areas and support industry in reaching climate neutrality.
Read full response

Meeting with Joachim Balke (Head of Unit Energy)

26 May 2025 · Presentation of the study on integrated infrastructure planning

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Climate Action Network Europe and

30 Apr 2025 · Klimapolitik

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Feb 2025 · hydrogen

Meeting with Taru Haapaniemi (Cabinet of Commissioner Christophe Hansen)

11 Feb 2025 · Sustainable agriculture and the Vision on Agriculture and Food

Meeting with Dan Jørgensen (Commissioner) and

30 Jan 2025 · Affordable Energy action Plan

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament) and Ocean Energy Europe

14 Nov 2024 · Clean Industrial Deal

Response to Greenhouse gas emissions savings methodology for low-carbon fuels

25 Oct 2024

Agora Energiewende (under the umbrella of Agora Thinktanks and in cooperation with Agora Industry) commends the Commission for the draft rules and welcomes the consultation on the methodology to determine the GHG emission savings of low-carbon fuels. We support in particular requiring full life-cycle well-to-wheel GHG emissions assessment, exclusion of enhanced oil recovery and CCU in non-mineral uses and the exclusion of coprocessing of biogas and fossil gases (although biogas certificates seem to be allowed). Agora Energiewende develops politically feasible and science-based strategies and solutions for the transformation to climate neutrality in Germany, Europe, and internationally. Along with overarching questions of climate policy, the successful transformation to a climate-neutral energy system is at the core of our work. As a think tank and policy lab we facilitate a productive exchange of ideas amongst stakeholders from politics, business, science and civil society. Our research identifies feasible policy solutions - without ideological commitments. As a non-partisan, non-profit organisation funded by foundations and public institutions, we are independent of corporate and partisan interests. Our exclusive mission is to serve the climate and the common good. For the purposes of this contribution, Agora Energiewende worked closely with Agora Industry and commissioned supportive research from Deloitte (France) and Carbon Limits (CL). For more details: Agora Energiewende and Agora Industry (2024): Low-carbon hydrogen in the EU - towards a robust definition in view of costs, trade and climate protection. Summary of our contribution (as further developed in the attachment) Hydrogen will make an important contribution to Europes decarbonisation - where direct electrification is not possible. The way the EU determines GHG carbon intensity calculations for low-carbon fuels and hydrogen directly affects the competitiveness of renewable hydrogen. Integrity in accounting seems paramount in order for EU policy makers to be able to assess the merits of various projects beyond compliance with 70 % reduction in terms of GHG reduction, contribution to energy security and the degree of uncertainty of involved technologies. A methodology able to provide this clarity and granularity is also necessary for public funding decisions. The comments in the attached file offer a number of technical observations and recommendations for the Commission to consider in its continued efforts to strengthen the rules and cover the following issues: 1. Clarify ambiguous concepts (treatment of imports not under new/renewed contracts; CO2 storage outside the EU) and terms (upstream and midstream emissions). 2. Include a more realistic default value for methane intensity 3. Revisit the CO2 default value 4. Address hydrogen leakage in review 2028) and with provisions to implement best practice before that date 5. Ensure real-time GHG accounting for electricity in support of the power sector and those that rely on competitive power prices 6. Set a gradually decreasing GHG threshold for low carbon hydrogen and fuels at least establishing stricter requirements as of 2031 as per Gas Directive Agora Energiewende (Brussels Office) Residence Palace Block C, box 74 Rue de la Loi 155 1040 Brussels Belgium * Berlin (Main Office) * Bangkok * Beijing * Brussels * EU Transparency Register: 321342621105-20
Read full response

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

4 Oct 2024 · Clean Industrial Deal

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

2 May 2024 · Green Industrial Deal

Meeting with Peter Van Kemseke (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

2 Feb 2024 · climate neutral EU

Meeting with Peter Van Kemseke (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

2 Feb 2024 · land use sectors and food to a climate neutral EU

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund and

15 Dec 2023 · sozial-ökologische Transformation in Europa

Meeting with Jutta Paulus (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

27 Jun 2023 · Methane strategy

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament)

22 May 2023 · Strommarktdesign

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament)

28 Apr 2023 · Strommarktdesign (Staff level)

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)

18 Apr 2023 · The recent adoption of the Effort Sharing and LULUCF Regulations, both of which entail enhanced climate commitments with relevance for land-use and agriculture.

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action)

7 Mar 2023 · Deployment of the lead technologies to accelerate climate action and implications for the upcoming debate on the EU's 2040 greenhouse gas reduction target

Meeting with Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

3 Mar 2023 · ETS

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Bruegel

28 Feb 2023 · Strommarktdesign

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Director-General Climate Action)

21 Feb 2023 · Discuss insights on forthcoming analysis on global steel industry transformation

Meeting with Peter Liese (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Germanwatch and

11 Jan 2023 · ETS

Meeting with Luděk Niedermayer (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Jan 2023 · discussion on Fit for 55 package and its implications for Czech republic

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

16 Nov 2022 · Climate and energy priorities for the next legislative mandate

Meeting with Manuela Ripa (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

7 Nov 2022 · Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

26 Oct 2022 · Circular economy and energy nexus

Meeting with Joan Canton (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

26 Oct 2022 · Circular economy and energy nexus

Meeting with Seán Kelly (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

12 Oct 2022 · The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

5 Oct 2022 · Transformation des Gasmarktes

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

28 Jul 2022 · Hydrogen delegated act

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft and Grüner Wirtschaftsdialog e.V.

15 Jul 2022 · Fachegspräch Industriepolitik

Meeting with Ciarán Cuffe (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Schneider Electric and Europe Jacques Delors

12 Jul 2022 · EPBD

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft

13 Jun 2022 · Industriepolitik

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Riccardo Maggi (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Stefanie Hiesinger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

11 May 2022 · REPowerEU

Meeting with Claudia Gamon (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and VERBUND AG

4 May 2022 · Gas & Hydrogen Package

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and WindEurope and

28 Apr 2022 · Exchange on the gas market directive

Meeting with Joan Canton (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

21 Apr 2022 · RePowerEU, accelerating the transition of industry

Meeting with Claudia Gamon (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and Hydrogen Europe

19 Apr 2022 · Gas & Hydrogen Package

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

13 Apr 2022 · Exchange of views on RePowerEU

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament) and Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e.V.

31 Mar 2022 · Energy

Meeting with Ditte Juul-Joergensen (Director-General Energy) and H2Global-Stiftung

17 Mar 2022 · Exchange with think tanks – Agora Energiewende, Aurora Energy Research, H2Global Stiftung. Discussion on security of supply and REPowerEU.

Meeting with Ville Niinistö (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

4 Mar 2022 · RED Guarantees of origin - staff level

Meeting with Michael Bloss (Member of the European Parliament) and EUROMETAUX and

8 Feb 2022 · ETS

Meeting with Jakop G. Dalunde (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Jan 2022 · Carbon Contracts for Difference and Green Material Quotas

Meeting with Jakop G. Dalunde (Member of the European Parliament)

13 Jan 2022 · CCFD GMQ

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

6 Dec 2021 · RED2 and RED3 follow up – RFNBO delegated act

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Nov 2021 · Fit for 55

Meeting with Kadri Simson (Commissioner) and

11 Nov 2021 · Round-table discussion on the regulation for the hydrogen market.

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

24 Sept 2021 · Hydrogen and gas sector decarbonisation package

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

22 Jun 2021 · European Green Deal and the preparation of the Sustainable Product Policy legislative initiative

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and European Environmental Bureau and

10 Jun 2021 · Roundtable of the Clean Hydrogen Alliance: 3rd meeting of the co-chairs

Meeting with Kurt Vandenberghe (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

12 May 2021 · Fit for 55

Meeting with Kitti Nyitrai (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson), Laure Chapuis (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson)

28 Apr 2021 · To share the results of their study on a 2040 lignite exit in the power system of the Western Balkan countries.

Meeting with Stefanie Hiesinger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and Stichting European Climate Foundation

4 Feb 2021 · Discussion on the upcoming reform of the EU ETS in the context of the Fit-for-55 package

Meeting with Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

29 Jan 2021 · Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries

Meeting with Eszter Batta (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton), Joan Canton (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

29 Jan 2021 · Decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries

Meeting with Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

27 Jan 2020 · discussion on the European Green Deal and Industry

Meeting with Ditte Juul-Joergensen (Director-General Energy)

29 Nov 2019 · Energy policy priorities in the context of the Green Deal

Meeting with Diederik Samsom (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

18 Nov 2019 · New initiative for a climate neutral Europe

Meeting with Bernd Biervert (Cabinet of Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič), Ivo Schmidt (Cabinet of Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič)

6 Oct 2017 · Mobility + Energy transition

Meeting with Silvia Bartolini (Cabinet of Vice-President Miguel Arias Cañete)

6 Oct 2017 · Mobility Package

Meeting with Joachim Balke (Cabinet of Vice-President Miguel Arias Cañete)

13 Sept 2016 · Market design and renewables

Meeting with Joachim Balke (Cabinet of Vice-President Miguel Arias Cañete)

5 Apr 2016 · Energy