CEFIC Calls for “EU Industrial Deal” on Clean Energy Supply
CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, together with other associations representing Europe’s clean technology industries and their key material suppliers, sent a joint letter to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen ahead of last week’s European Council summit. They jointly expressed their support of von der Leyen's commitment that "the future of our clean tech industry must be made in Europe.”
In the letter, CEFIC and the other the signatories call for urgent and comprehensive action from the European Commission and member state governments to maximize the growth potential of the Green Deal and ensure a compelling business case for clean energy supply chains in Europe, from the raw material to the product. An EU Industrial Deal must create a compelling business case for investments and competitiveness across the European clean energy supply chain, including technology producers, materials suppliers, and other critical sectors. To achieve this, the stakeholders involved call for the establishment of the following five pillars:
- New agile and EU-level finance to ensure easier access for companies to existing EU financial tools at first, and new sources of EU-level funding specifically allocated to clean energy supply chains in future;
- Fast-track permission for production and deployment, enforced at national level;
- Competitive energy prices;
- Level playing field for open strategic autonomy, i.e., Europe should design its industry and trade policies strategically to support clean tech manufacturing and supply chain goals;
- Appropriate market incentives to develop full domestic supply chains.
The organizations involved in the open letter emphasized their industries' support for von der Leyen's industrial goals and said they “want a secure European energy transition, built by European jobs with sustainable materials and green tech industries.”
