Areas of Expertise:
Luca Polizzi is a science, energy and climate diplomacy expert with over 20 years of experience shaping international policy, regulation and innovation in the energy transition. He is a senior advisor at APCO based in Brussels, focusing on energy, and a research fellow at UNU-CRIS in Bruges. Previously manager for strategy and programme at KAUST (Saudi Arabia), where he led engagement on R&I priorities, foresight and innovation policy. Before moving to Saudi Arabia, Luca served as an EU Diplomat in Tel Aviv and as policy officer at the European Commission in DG RTD, where he advanced clean hydrogen, energy innovation funding and major European initiatives, including Horizon Europe, IPCEIs, TEN-E/TEN-T and the Hydrogen Bank. His work spans energy transition rebranding and repositioning, overcoming greenwashing, just transition community engagement, carbon certificates and resilience strategies for grids and LNG adaptation.
Luca has deep expertise in EU and global energy finance (grants, loans, guarantees, blended finance including EFSD+, EIB Global, Global Gateway, NDICI-GE) and in regulatory and advocacy frameworks underpinning the Green Deal and Fit for 55, including CBAM, RED I–III and Delegated Acts, AFIR, AFNBO and low-carbon hydrogen standards. He has advised on climate and energy intelligence, energy regulation and multilateral cooperation across Africa, the Gulf, Eastern Partnership and the Southern Neighbourhood, also covering FSR.
Luca holds a PhD in Science Diplomacy and International Studies (VUB School of Governance), with a focus on EU energy and climate policy in the Middle East.