Key Takeaways from Day 1 of LiB Europe 2025

On November 3, the LiB Europe 2025, organized by SMM and supported by ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment (Government of Catalonia), was grandly held at the Hilton Barcelona, Spain!

This summit focused on the rapid development of the European EV and lithium-ion battery industry, bringing together key decision-makers such as international policymakers, investors, manufacturers, raw material suppliers, component suppliers, and technical service providers. Attendees included important representatives from all segments of the European lithium battery industry chain as well as authoritative figures from the EU government. The conference aimed to jointly discuss and interpret major issues currently facing the European battery industry, conducting in-depth analysis of the implementation status and latest progress of the new Battery Regulation, Battery Passport project, and Critical Raw Materials Act. Furthermore, the summit further discussed policy support and cooperation prospects for China-Europe battery projects, and explored effective pathways to promote the development of the European local lithium battery industry chain through global cooperation.

SMM provided full text and photo live coverage of the summit. Stay tuned!

》Click to view live photo coverage

November 3

Opening Address

Speaker:

Richard Clark, Global Head of Specialty Materials and Processes, Appian Capital Advisory

Adam Fan, Chairman of SMM

Welcome Address: Strengthening the Battery Ecosystem in Catalonia

Speaker:

Mr. Jaume Baró Torres, Secretary Enterprise and Competitiveness, Government of Catalonia

Keynote Speech: CRMA & National Funding Programs The way forward for Europe?

Speaker: Michael Gerald Schmidt, Senior Geologist/Analyst, The German Raw Materials Agency (DERA)

The European Union has identified and finally acknowledged the dependency and bottleneck issues concerning certain raw materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act and all its pillars, links, and sub-levels represent a rhetorically "strong" response and set very ambitious targets for 2030. Without ambitious goals, there can be no progress. The Critical Raw Materials Act alone cannot solve the potential funding gap for raw material projects, nor was it originally intended to do so. As required by the Critical Raw Materials Act, national exploration programs will help identify the raw material potential within the EU. National funding plans and schemes, formulated by individual EU member states, are now being implemented. These national funding programs are insufficient to fully support the funding needs of the projects required to meet the CRMA's objectives, and they were not originally established for this purpose.

Globally, competition for critical and strategic raw materials remains intense. Europe faces high production costs, such as for energy and labor, both currently and for the foreseeable future. Achieving strategic independence comes with a corresponding "price," and the question of who will bear these costs is a subject for discussion. Producing critical and strategic raw materials within Europe not only enhances supply chain security but is also expected to yield positive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impacts. To accelerate this process, fact-based stakeholder dialogue, "fast-track" permitting procedures, and broad societal acceptance will be crucial factors. Time and capital (investment) play indispensable roles in this process.

Keynote Speech: Battery Passport: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage

Speaker: Marco De Luna, Lead Product Manager - Battery Value Chain, Stellantis

Panel Discussion: The Necessity of Policy Support for Cross-Border Collaboration on Battery Projects

Moderator:

Alex Stanbury, CEO and Co-founder, Recyclus Group

Panelists:

Pau Sanchis, EU Public Affairs & Policy Director, CATL

Steven Zhang, CTO, Shenzhen Senior Technology Material Co., Ltd.

Truls Johansen, Vice President Upcell Alliance / CSO at Elinor Batteries, UpCell Alliance

The guests discussed policy coordination and regulatory alignment, infrastructure and supply chain integration, trade facilitation and market access, risk mitigation and geopolitical resilience.

Keynote Speech: Huayou Recycling - Unique Closed-Loop Solution Provider

Speaker: Wei Zhang, Managing Director Europe and North America, Zhejiang Huayou Recycling Technology Co., Ltd. (Silver Sponsor)

Panel Discussion: Key Comparison - The Role of NCM and LFP Batteries in the Transformation of the European Battery Market and Future Trends

Moderator:

Julian Englberger, Vice President Operations, Cylib (Silver Sponsor)

Panelists:

Mirko Arnold, Vice President of Business Management for Battery Materials, BASF

Pablo Fernandez-Santos, Managing Director of Basquevolt

Márton Pap, Sales Director of ElevenEs

Alex Holmes, Chief Operating Officer of Nano One

The guests shared insights on the market applications and future trends of ternary batteries and LFP batteries, technological advancements and performance, supply chain and raw material dependencies, cost structures, and economic aspects.

Panel Discussion: How Cross-Border Collaboration Can Help Europe Succeed in the Battery Value Chain 2.0

Moderator:

Edgar Monteiro, Consultant Lawyer at Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer

Panelists:

Matt Fernley, Founder and Managing Director of Battery Materials Review

Ekin Ober, Managing Partner of Valaris Group

Fabien Levaillant, Managing Director of BNP Paribas

Anthony Tse, Founder of NEO Capital

Tobias Frieser, Development Consultant of Suzhou Baofen Environmental Technology Co., Ltd.

The guests engaged in lively on-site discussions, addressing investment strategies and financial models, policy frameworks and regulatory coordination, technology transfer and joint ventures, as well as geopolitics and supply chain resilience.

Keynote Speech: Advanced Materials: Innovative Solutions for Next-Generation Batteries

(Silver Sponsor) Speaker: Dr. Jianan Zhang, Research Engineer, Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology Co., Ltd.

(At the speaker's request, this presentation is not publicly available.)

Panel Discussion: Advances in Next-Generation Battery Technologies for EV Applications

Moderator:

Dr. Simon Engelke, Founder and Chairman of Battery Associates

Panelists:

Han Meng, Head of Strategic Operations at PowerCo SE

Richard Bouveret, CEO and Chairman of Blue Solutions

Nicole Neub, Director of Battery Technology Division at Exentec Germany GmbH

Lakshya Gupta, Senior Analyst at SFA Oxford

Diana Fu, Chief Marketing Officer of Sichuan Union Shine New Energy Sci-Tech Co., Ltd.

The on-site guests shared insights on the disruptive changes brought by solid-state batteries, silicon-based anodes as a gradual yet profound development, lithium metal anodes breaking through energy density bottlenecks, and sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to LFP.

Keynote Speech: An Innovative, Eco-Friendly, and Low-Energy Continuous Graphitisation Technology for Large-Scale Production of Artificial Graphite Anode Materials

(Platinum Sponsor) Speaker: Shuaigang Wang, Senior R&D Engineer at Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.

Keynote Speech:

Advancing High-Performance, Low-Cost Carbon-Based Battery Materials to Meet Global Demand

Speaker:

(Silver Sponsor) Dr. Hui Dong, ESS R&D Manager at Ingevity

Keynote Speech:

Easpring's Contribution to the Battery Value Chain

Speaker:

(Platinum Sponsor) Jashon Guan, CEO of Easpring Finland and Chief Commercial Officer of Easpring

Panel Discussion: From Mine to Recycling: How Can Europe Build a Self-Sufficient Lithium Battery Supply Chain?

Moderator:

Nicole Neub, Director of Battery Technology Division, Exentec Germany GmbH

Panelists:

Florian Wunsch, Chief Commercial Officer, UP Catalyst

Tom Van Bellinghen, CEO and Founder, Lithink

Pierre-Alexandre Levy, Commercial Director of Lithium Business, Imerys

Ilya Gasparishvili, Senior Project Manager, Digital Product Passport, Honeywell

Albert Albareda, Founder and CEO, AL&P PROJECTS S.L

The guests discussed policy promotion and industry collaboration, resource independence and supply chain security, and geopolitical variables.

SMM European Automotive Summit and Catalonia Automotive Week Opening Ceremony

Panel Discussion: Supply Chain Restructuring—How Spain Can Become an Industrial Hub for Europe's EV Sector

Moderator:

Yang Le, Senior Lithium Battery Industry Analyst, SMM

Panelists:

Gonzalo Zabala, Procurement Director – Transportation and Logistics (Procurement and After-Sales Services), Europe, Middle East and Africa, Stellantis

Ignasi Castelló Escudé, Procurement Director, Ficosa

Pablo Méndez, Procurement Director, Renault Group Iberia

The guests shared insights on European supply chain implications, Spain's advantages (technology sharing + local procurement, port advantages), prospects for European business development (establishing supporting facilities following automakers in Europe), and challenges and countermeasures in the localization process (key issues identified through enterprise surveys).

Keynote Speech:

Chery International Europe Brand Presentation

Speaker:

Eric Liu/Kun Liu, Country Director of Chery International Omoda & Jaecoo Spain Subsidiary

Address by the Government of Catalonia

Speaker:

Riánsares López Monzón, Senior Consultant, ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment (Government of Catalonia) | Chair of the Automotive, Transport and Mobility Sector Group (EEN)

Panel Discussion: Europe Reborn: How Chinese Automakers and Spanish Brands Are Shaping the Future of Mobility

Moderator:

Rui Ma, Head of New Energy Industry Research, SMM

Panelists:

José Óscar Leiva Méndez, CEO and Managing Partner, Hitch Capital

Edu Blanco, CEO, SANTANA MOTORS

David Ortega, Managing Partner, Muvmi

Joan Miquel Malagelada, Board Member, EBRO EV Motors

This session delved into how Spain can become a key gateway for the reindustrialization of the European automotive industry by establishing strategic alliances with Chinese automakers and long-standing Spanish brands. Drawing on successful cases such as EBRO-Chery and SANTANA-ZNA-Anhui title sponsorship, Professor David Ortega shared preliminary insights from his doctoral research alongside invited guests. The discussion covered industrial policy transformation, adjustments to subsidy policies, and shifts in consumer perceptions of the EV market.

The first day of presentations at the 2025 European Lithium Battery Summit has concluded. The excitement continues on November 4th! Stay tuned~