Smurfit Kappa Group chief executive Tony Smurfit welcomed top European business leaders in Dublin to discuss initiatives aimed at strengthening the region’s competitiveness.

Guests at the Smurfit Kappa-hosted event included CEOs and Chairs from global businesses such as Airbus, Ericsson, GSK, Heineken, Iberdrola and Saint-Gobain.

The event was one of two annual plenary sessions that the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) holds. Discussion topics included energy transition, climate change and innovation in light of the 30-year anniversary of the Single European Market.

The companies that comprise ERT have reported combined revenues of more than €2trn and provide around five million direct jobs globally.

The summit included a meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle and a session with the president of the Eurogroup and minister for public expenditure and reform Paschal Donohoe.

After the event, Tony Smurfit said: “I was honoured to host European business leaders at this ERT plenary session. Our businesses are critical to unleash Europe’s full potential to bring economic and social benefits while delivering the green transition.

“Smurfit Kappa is committed to supporting Europe’s climate goals with products that are renewable, recyclable and biodegradable at heart. It was a pleasure to welcome my fellow ERT members and several FTSE100 peers to Dublin.”

Earlier this month, Smurfit Kappa announced the successful completion of an expansion project on its Pruszków corrugated manufacturing facility in Poland.