Fuel Conference "Towards a Cleaner Society - A Boilerplate for the Transition?"

Welcome Address

23 March 2017, Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallinn, Estonia



Photo of Thierry De Meulder
Dear Colleagues and Friends,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to attend the international Fuel Conference “Towards a Cleaner Society – A Boilerplate for the Transition?”, which will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on March 23, 2017.

The conference will bring together European fuel suppliers and companies from the transport and energy sector and others interested in the fuel market and the future of transport fuels.

Considering the challenges in decarbonising the transport sector the organizers of the conference offers an honest discussion regarding the oil sector’s contribution towards a cleaner society.

On behalf of World Energy Council and UPEI I invite you to join us for a very exciting conference and we hope you will learn what can be realistically expected from the fuel market and transport sector during the next 10 – 20 years. We hope that additionally you will have an interesting cultural experience in Tallinn, Estonia!


Thierry De Meulder,
President of UPEI



About conference


The challenge of reducing air pollution and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions is one that the oil sector has been engaged in for some time and takes seriously. Is enough being done? Is the potential of the sector to contribute being fully tapped? How can the oil sector work with others to address this challenge most effectively?

According to the European Commission, the transport sector represents almost 25% of Europe’s GHG emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in cities. GHG emissions from the transport sector have more than doubled since 1970. The European Union has set the target to reduce CO2 emissions from transport by 60% by 2050. Lowering emissions in the transport sector is a very big challenge globally and achieving low-emission mobility needs very serious decisions. At the same time, the European Commission expects that oil products will still represent about 90% of the EU transport sector needs in 2030 and 86% in 2050. How can these ambitions and the reality be reconciled?

In this context, the conference will discuss global transport scenarios, developments in transport fuels and powertrains in connection with potential changes to the global oil market. It will address the biofuels debate and encourage an honest discussion. The potential of alternative fuels such as hydrogen will also be examined to determine if this is a dream or plausible reality. The conference will also look to the refining industry and how it can contribute to a sustainable future for transport, addressing the dual challenge of GHG emissions and air quality.

The oil and transport sectors have already adapted to address the challenges of security of supply, competitiveness and climate change. What more needs to be done and what can we realistically expect in the next 10 – 20 years?



World Energy CouncilUPEI