WindEurope welcomes a new era of leadership with the appointment of Tinne Van der Straeten as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective February 2, 2026. This strategic move comes at a pivotal moment for Europe's energy landscape, focusing on security, competitiveness, and climate goals. With a wealth of experience in energy policy, Van der Straeten is poised to drive WindEurope's mission forward.
Van der Straeten's background as Belgium's Energy Minister from 2020 to 2025 is a testament to her expertise. During her tenure, she successfully steered Belgium's wind energy expansion, fostering a broad consensus on the nation's response to the 2022 energy crisis. Her leadership extended to European energy cooperation, as she chaired the North Sea Energy Cooperation in 2020 and the European Energy Council in 2024, while also serving as vice-chair at the IEA Ministerial meeting in 2022. Most recently, Van der Straeten represented Belgium in the European Parliament.
In her new role, Van der Straeten emphasizes the importance of wind energy for Europe's energy independence, industrial competitiveness, and climate ambitions. She highlights wind as a homegrown, scalable technology that provides affordable power, strengthens energy independence, and supports a competitive industrial base with high-quality jobs across the continent.
Henrik Andersen, WindEurope Chairman, expresses enthusiasm for Van der Straeten's appointment, praising her influence in elevating wind energy's profile in Belgium and the EU. Andersen highlights her collaborative efforts in shaping energy policy and creating positive long-term investment frameworks for sustainable wind deployment.
The WindEurope Board extends gratitude to former CEO Giles Dickson for his decade-long leadership and invaluable contributions to the European wind industry. His dedication was instrumental in the organization's growth.
As CEO, Van der Straeten will prioritize maximizing wind energy's potential to ensure affordability, industrial competitiveness, and energy security for Europe. With geopolitical challenges intensifying, Europe must reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels. Wind energy, at the core of a renewables-based system, offers significant savings, potentially reaching up to €1.6 trillion, even when considering grid and backup costs.
To unlock these benefits, Europe must commit to the Clean Industrial Deal, accelerating the growth of homegrown, competitive renewables and electrifying its economy. Wind energy currently generates 20% of Europe's electricity, and with the right policies, this share is projected to reach 34% by 2030 and surpass 50% by 2050.
However, Europe's wind energy expansion falls short of its potential. In 2025, the EU installed only 13 GW of new capacity, significantly below the level required to meet 2030 energy security and climate targets. Van der Straeten acknowledges the industry's readiness to create over 600,000 jobs by 2030 but emphasizes the need to address permitting issues and infrastructure delays to unlock wind energy's full potential for Europe.
