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Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven

KU Leuven

KU Leuven is a prominent Belgian university focusing on education, research, and societal service.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Kris Van Dijck (Member of the European Parliament) and Ghent University and Université libre de Bruxelles

17 Nov 2025 · ECF - FP10

KU Leuven urges funding for rare disease research networks

3 Nov 2025
Topic — The consultation covers the EU’s long-term budget framework for competitiveness after 2027.
Message — KU Leuven requests that funding for European Reference Networks for rare diseases be included. They argue for these networks to be part of the next generation of programmes.1
Why — This would provide necessary financial support for the university's excellent research and societal service.2
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Meeting with Florika Fink-Hooijer (Director-General Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority)

6 Oct 2025 · Visit to KU Leuven, with R&D programme overview and presentation of the VirusBank Platform

Meeting with Alexandra Jour-Schroeder (Deputy Director-General Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union) and Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

2 Oct 2025 · European Capital Markets Law Project

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad

24 Sept 2025 · Europees onderzoeks- en innovatiebeleid

Response to Extension of the scope of the carbon border adjustment mechanism to downstream products and anti-circumvention measures

26 Aug 2025

Feedback on the Extension of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to Downstream Products Batteries A dedicated study has been conducted on the battery sector with a particular focus on the competitiveness of second-life batteries. The findings, described in detail in the attached executive summary, show that the potential impact of CBAM on this sector is significant. Without additional measures, second-life batteries are unlikely to achieve profitability, as the rapid decline in the cost of new batteries progressively reduces their economic advantage despite their lower environmental footprint. The modelling demonstrates that even moderate levels of CO\textsubscript{2} taxation can alter this outcome and make second-life batteries the least-cost option over time. The results further indicate that under European cost conditions, competitiveness can be achieved with relatively small levels of taxation, thereby enhancing resilience to imports and strengthening the role of circular economy solutions. Extending CBAM to downstream products such as batteries would therefore help ensure a level playing field, reduce carbon leakage, and provide Europe with a strategic advantage by leveraging its comparatively decarbonised electricity mix. It would also support the uptake of environmentally sustainable alternatives such as second-life batteries, contributing both to climate neutrality and to European industrial competitiveness.
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Response to European strategy on research and technology infrastructures

20 May 2025

1. Do you agree with the identified main problems and needs? Note that the identified problems and needs are not new. It seems equally important to pay sufficient attention to the "medium ecosystem" alongside the large-scale infrastructures. The human resources aspect related to infrastructure is barely addressed, if at all. Note that some European University Alliances have mapped barriers and solutions and are to some extent experimenting with innovative models for shared infrastructure use, joint staffing, and cross-border access to research facilities. 2. Are there any additional challenges faced by research and technology infrastructures that a European strategy should address, especially in relation to Europes main competitors? Based on the text, the focus appears to be primarily on large infrastructures such as ESFRI initiatives, AI factories, and supercomputing. However, infrastructure for defence-related research and the handling of sensitive data including patient data is not explicitly mentioned. The broader geopolitical context is currently a major factor, especially regarding AI and chip development. 3. Does the proposed set of actions adequately address these issues? Would other actions be needed at EU level? The key question remains how the proposed goals will be achieved the actions listed are still quite general and vague, and it is unclear what will be expected from member states. It is important to consider incentives so that researchers and companies are motivated to collaborate with other European infrastructures. In this context, the exchange of expertise, best practices, and expert mobility/network building also seems highly relevant.
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Meeting with Stefaan Hermans (Director Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) and European University Institute

28 Apr 2025 · To enhance legal clarity and governance at the EUI

Meeting with Brando Benifei (Member of the European Parliament) and Future of Life Institute

20 Mar 2025 · IA

Meeting with Hildegard Bentele (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Feb 2025 · Not in my Country, Serbia’s Lithium Dilemma

Meeting with Christian Ehler (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Dec 2023 · Industrial research

Meeting with Brando Benifei (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

30 May 2023 · "Short-term rentals" file in IMCO (meeting held by assistant responsible)

Meeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

9 Feb 2023 · Acces to Medicines and pandemic preparedness (APA)

Meeting with Andreas Schneider (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski)

13 Jan 2023 · Third UTP Roundtable of KU Leuven's research institute Consumer Competition Market

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Stefanie Hiesinger (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and EUROMETAUX

15 Jun 2022 · Metals and clean energy

Meeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

13 May 2022 · Statistical Data Analysis on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Meeting with Toma Šutić (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica) and Foundation on European Citizens’ Rights, Involvement and Trust

3 Jun 2021 · meeting on citizenship education

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

11 Dec 2020 · Participation to Horizon Europe launch event

Meeting with Nicolas Schmit (Commissioner) and

8 Sept 2020 · Roundtable on platform work.

Meeting with Ivo Belet (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica)

25 Aug 2020 · Conference on the Future of Europe

Meeting with Anthony Whelan (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Bjoern Seibert (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Fernando Sampedro Marcos (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Maria Luisa Cabral (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Mary Veronica Tovsak Pleterski (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Nicole Dewandre (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Olivier Smith (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Per Haugaard (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen), Valeria Miceli (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen) and

31 Jul 2020 · The State of the Union in 2020 - The Digital Transition at the core of Europe's Recovery - [Via Webex]

Meeting with Ivo Belet (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica)

19 May 2020 · Conference on the Future of Europe

Meeting with Mariya Gabriel (Commissioner)

6 Feb 2020 · Culture and Follow-up to the Year of Cultural Heritage

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

27 Nov 2019 · H2020 Scientific Panel for health

Meeting with Marco Valletta (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

2 Feb 2018 · Food waste awareness, circular economy action