This week, Antwerp became a meeting point for discussions on the future of Hydrogen Valleys in Europe. The third edition of Hydrogen Valleys Days 2026 brought together experts, project representatives, industry leaders, regional stakeholders and European institutions to discuss how to accelerate the real deployment of hydrogen technologies and support the development of integrated hydrogen ecosystems across Europe.
Organised by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the event created a space for sharing experiences between Hydrogen Valley projects from different regions of Europe. Discussions focused on implementation challenges, infrastructure development, regional cooperation and cross-border hydrogen initiatives.
One of the programme highlights was Session 2: Learning from experience – Recent developments in the H2 Valleys, dedicated to practical lessons learned from Hydrogen Valley implementation and recent developments across Europe.
The EASTGATEH2V project was represented by Katarína Sasaráková from the Košice Self-Governing Region, who introduced the first Hydrogen Valley in Slovakia and its role within Central and Eastern Europe.
During her presentation, she introduced the integrated hydrogen ecosystem developed within EASTGATEH2V, connecting renewable hydrogen production, distribution and end-use applications in mobility, industry and energy sectors. The presentation also highlighted the broader regional significance of the project and its contribution to the development of the hydrogen market in Central Europe.
The panel discussion also addressed current challenges Hydrogen Valleys are facing, including financing, permitting procedures, infrastructure deployment and stakeholder coordination across the hydrogen value chain.
Several concrete hydrogen applications planned within the project were presented:
- hydrogen-powered public transport and buses
- municipal vehicles including waste collection trucks
- industrial hydrogen applications
- aviation and hydrogen VTOL technologies
- regional hydrogen distribution and infrastructure development
An important topic of the discussion was also the cross-border dimension of EASTGATEH2V. The project was presented as part of a broader Central European hydrogen ecosystem and a future link to the Central European Hydrogen Corridor connecting Slovakia, Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine.
During the discussion, Katarína Sasaráková particularly highlighted:
- the importance of practical experience in Hydrogen Valley development
- the need for coordination between regions, industry and the public sector
- the role of hydrogen in decarbonising mobility and industry
- challenges related to implementing projects in Central and Eastern Europe
- the importance of international cooperation and knowledge exchange
- the need for long-term stability and support for hydrogen deployment in Europe
Hydrogen Valleys Days 2026 once again demonstrated that Hydrogen Valleys are becoming an important tool for connecting innovation with real deployment in European regions. Sharing practical experience between projects can help accelerate hydrogen adoption across Europe and support the development of a stable and competitive hydrogen ecosystem.
The participation of EASTGATEH2V confirmed that Central and Eastern European regions also have an important role in Europe’s hydrogen transition and can actively contribute to building future renewable hydrogen solutions.
