Entrepreneurs' Forum

EIT RawMaterials CEO Bernd Schäfer will speak at the Entrepreneurs' Forum – Why Do We Need Minerals?, taking place on 28 May 2026 at the Sun Hall Hotel in Larnaca, Cyprus.

The Entrepreneurs' Forum is a high-level gathering co-organised by Aggregates Europe, Euromines, Eurogypsum, the Cyprus Quarries Association, and the Greek Mining Enterprises Association, held under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event brings together ministers, European Commission officials, industry leaders, and economists to address a question that sits at the heart of Europe's industrial and green transition: where will the raw materials come from, and how do we ensure they keep flowing?

The programme opens with a welcome address from Maria Panayiotou, Cyprus's Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, before moving into presentations from the European Commission and the Cypriot government — offering both the EU-level policy picture and the on-the-ground realities of a member state at the frontline of raw materials governance.

Ask the Experts: Managing Raw Materials in an Uncertain World

Bernd Schäfer joins the forum's central panel session at 10:45, alongside senior voices from the European Commission, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, BirdLife Europe, the Bank of Cyprus, and the Cypriot government. The session is structured as a direct conversation with the audience — exploring which strategies actually work when it comes to managing supply risk, building domestic capacity, and making the Critical Raw Materials Act more than a policy document.

Speakers

• Kerstin Jorna, Director-General, DG GROW, European Commission
• Bryan Bille, Policy and Geopolitical Principal, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
• Ariel Brunner, Director, BirdLife Europe
• Bernd Schäfer, CEO and Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials
• Costas Costantinou, Permanent Secretary, Directorate General for the Environment, Cyprus
• Nektarios Michail, Chief Economist, Bank of Cyprus

Moderated by Dirk Fincke (Aggregates Europe) & Tristan Suffys (Eurogypsum)

For anyone working at the intersection of raw materials, industrial policy, and Europe's green transition, this is a rare opportunity to hear the full picture (from Commission to quarry) in a single morning.