The European Commission has launched its Green Deal Industrial Plan to enhance the competitiveness of Europe’s net-zero industry and support the fast transition to climate neutrality.
The Commission said the plan aims to provide a more supportive environment for the scaling up of the EU’s manufacturing capacity for net-zero technologies and products required to meet Europe’s ambitious climate targets.
It builds on previous initiatives and relies on the strengths of the EU Single Market, complementing ongoing efforts under the European Green Deal and REPowerEU.
The Commission will propose a Net-Zero Industry Act to identify goals for industrial capacity and provide a regulatory framework suited for its quick deployment, ensuring simplified and fast-track permitting.
The legislation will also promote European strategic projects and develop standards to support the scale-up of technologies across the Single Market.
The framework will be complemented by the Critical Raw Materials Act, to ensure sufficient access to those materials, like rare earths, that are vital for manufacturing key technologies.
There will also be reform of the electricity market design to make consumers benefit from the lower costs of renewables.
The second pillar of the plan will speed up investment and financing for clean tech production in Europe.
Under competition policy, the Commission aims to guarantee a level playing field within the Single Market while making it easier for member states to grant necessary aid to fast-track the green transition.
To that end, in order to speed up and simplify aid granting, the Commission will consult member states on an amended Temporary State aid Crisis and Transition Framework.
It will also revise the General Block Exemption Regulation in light of the Green Deal, increasing notification thresholds for support for green investments.
Among others, this will contribute to further streamline and simplify the approval of IPCEI-related projects, it said.
The Commission will also facilitate the use of existing EU funds for financing clean tech innovation, manufacturing and deployment.
The Commission is also exploring avenues to achieve greater common financing at EU level to support investments in manufacturing of net-zero technologies, based on an ongoing investment needs assessment.
The Commission will work with member states in the short term, with a focus on REPowerEU, InvestEU and the Innovation Fund, on a bridging solution to provide fast and targeted support.
For the mid-term, the Commission intends to give a structural answer to the investment needs, by proposing a European Sovereignty Fund in the context of the review of the multi-annual financial framework before summer 2023.
To help countries access the REPowerEU funds, the Commission has adopted new guidance on recovery and resilience plans, explaining the process of modifying existing plans and the modalities for preparing REPowerEU chapters.
As between 35% and 40% of all jobs could be affected by the green transition, developing the skills needed for well-paid quality jobs will be a priority for the European Year of Skills.
To develop a people-centred green transition the Commission will propose to establish Net-Zero Industry Academies to roll out up-skilling and re-skilling programmes in strategic industries.
It will also consider how to combine a ‘skills-first’ approach, recognising actual abilities, with existing approaches based on qualifications, and how to facilitate access of third country nationals to EU labour markets in priority sectors, as well as measures to foster and align public and private funding for skills development.
Finally, the Commission will continue to develop the EU’s network of Free Trade Agreements and other forms of cooperation with partners to support the green transition.
It will also explore the creation of a Critical Raw Materials Club, to bring together raw material ‘consumers’ and resource-rich countries to ensure global security of supply through a competitive and diversified industrial base, and of Clean Tech/Net-Zero Industrial Partnerships.
The Commission will also protect the Single Market from unfair trade in the clean tech sector and will use its instruments to ensure that foreign subsidies do not distort competition in the Single Market, also in the clean-tech sector.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (pictured) said: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to show the way with speed, ambition and a sense of purpose to secure the EU’s industrial lead in the fast-growing net-zero technology sector.
“Europe is determined to lead the clean tech revolution.
“For our companies and people, it means turning skills into quality jobs and innovation into mass production, thanks to a simpler and faster framework.
“Better access to finance will allow our key clean tech industries to scale up quickly.”