“We can finance the green transition, or keep funding fossil fuels” – Dimitri Colin joins Cleantech for Europe

Cleantech for Europe is working to close the funding gap for scaling clean technologies in the EU, which requires mobilising many stakeholders from policymakers to traditional VC investors to institutional investors such as banks and pension funds. To further Cleantech for Europe’s financial policy work, a new Policy Officer has joined the team: we extend a warm welcome to Dimitri Colin!

A native of Paris, Dimitri joins Cleantech for Europe after handling the sustainable finance policy work of the French Banking Federation for the last two years in Brussels. His experience there led him to the realization of the crucial role banks will play in the energy transition.

“Banks can finance the green transition, or keep funding fossil fuels. They operate at the highest level of the economy, and while they can be far from the real economy, they have huge leverage to drive positive change.”

Outside of work, Dimitri is a passionate advocate against climate change, and is a volunteer at QuotaClimat, an NGO committed to pushing back against climate disinformation.

Dimitri now sets his sights on supporting Europe’s cleantech sector. Before his work for the French Banking Federation, he graduated with a double Master’s Degree in Business Law and Management, which led to his present career in political advocacy. We discussed his professional path and his outlook for the future of EU cleantech.

"I am thrilled to advocate for the most-ambitious solutions."

What motivated you to join Cleantech for Europe?

“I’ve worked on enabling cleantech investment from the banking side, and I encountered Cleantech for Europe during my research. Now, I am thrilled to advocate for the most-ambitious solutions I believe in.

‘European competitiveness, through decarbonisation and reindustrialisation’ is based on a mosaic of thousands of smaller pictures – real investors, real employees.

Sustainable finance work is all about ensuring that investors and their portfolios, i.e. the aforementioned real economy, are aligned with the trajectory outlined in the Paris Agreement. This means I’ve followed a number of policy files – be they banking-related, regulations on corporate sustainability reporting, or energy performance of buildings – all with this objective in mind.”

You joined right before Cleantech for Europe Summit 2024 – what have been your impressions so far?

“Now really is the moment to get into cleantech. The momentum at Cleantech for Europe Summit was palpable – everyone in the room was fully aligned on the urgency to scale and deploy cleantech manufacturing in Europe. The event’s tagline was ‘Time to Scale’, and that was definitely felt by everyone present.

 Our Summit showcased what Cleantech for Europe is all about: bringing together different communities working towards the shared goal of European cleantech competitiveness. MEPs co-hosted breakout workshops alongside innovators, and policy leaders discussed candidly, how to remove the current roadblocks on the path to cleantech scale-up. These spaces cannot be taken for granted – and Cleantech for Europe has managed to build a very inspiring one.

We see this beyond the Summit as well. The need to scale cleantech is reflected in the new Commission’s Political Guidelines, in Draghi’s report, in Mission Letters to Commissioners, and more.”  

What are your immediate priorities?

“I will be working closely with Cleantech for Europe’s Investor Coalition, so my first order of business is linking up with the members and getting to know them. This direct connection to the EU’s cleantech community is what makes Cleantech for Europe unique; it will certainly inform a large part of my work going forward.

Going into next year, we are expecting a number of new legislative files, from public procurement policy to a review of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. These will likely come early next year. It's vital to get our Investor Coalition’s input on these, so that we can advocate for the solutions which enable cleantech investors to channel funds into the right sectors.”

Thank you for sharing your insights, Dimitri! We look forward to working with you.

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