Resolution on the Clean Industrial Deal
The European Parliament adopted by 381 votes to 173, with 13 abstentions, a resolution tabled by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy on the Clean Industry Deal.
Parliament welcomed the Clean Industry Deal as a first step towards strengthening Europe's industrial competitiveness and innovation, its strategic autonomy, decarbonisation, clean prosperity and growth. It called on the Commission to move swiftly from strategy to action and implementation.
Financing decarbonisation
Members welcomed the creation of the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, which aims to mobilise EUR 100 billion in financing, and the announced pilot project, including a EUR 1 billion auction to finance the decarbonisation of key industrial processes in different sectors, underpinning the decarbonisation and electrification of industry. They called for broader participation by Member States in auction-as-a-service schemes.
Parliament also supports the Action Plan for Affordable Energy and its focus on implementing an electricity market design, as well as the pilot programme for corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) via the European Investment Bank. It emphasised the need to mobilise these PPAs to increase their capacity and achieve genuine decarbonisation.
Energy infrastructure
The resolution emphasised the need to boost energy infrastructure, particularly cross-border infrastructure, including interconnections, and to complete the Energy Union. Members believe that the current fragmentation of regulatory oversight and investment planning in Member States hampers integration and electrification. Member States, transmission system operators, and the Commission are called upon to boost cross-border electricity exchanges and strive to achieve the current 15% interconnection target.
Coordination of expenditures
Parliament encouraged the Commission and Member States to improve the coordination of State aid spending on common European industrial priorities and called on them to use it to support industry on its path to a clean transition, while taking into account different fiscal capacities. It recalled the need to establish a level playing field and stressed the need to improve the coordination of industrial policy across the Union, both between Member States themselves and between Member States and the Commission.
Simplification and digitalization
Parliament endorsed the simplification and digitalisation of permitting procedures, while respecting environmental safeguards and protecting human health. It called on the Commission to continue addressing permitting bottlenecks for industrial access to energy and industrial decarbonisation, in the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act. Member States are invited to improve their administrative capacity to ensure the timely processing of permits.
A cleaner, more stable, secure and more independent energy mix
The resolution recognised that renewable energy, alongside nuclear energy for those Member States that choose to use it, is essential to achieve a clean and secure energy mix. The Commission is called upon to strengthen cooperation on the safe development and production of small modular reactors in Europe and to advance research into nuclear fusion as a future energy technology. The important role that renewable, low-carbon hydrogen can play in decarbonising industry was highlighted.
Sectoral dialogues
Parliament called on the Commission to engage in sectoral dialogues with industry, academia, social partners, and relevant stakeholders in energy-intensive and clean technology industries and regional (cross-border) industrial clusters to strengthen their competitiveness and facilitate their transition pathways. It also stressed that the successful transition to clean industry depends on a skilled workforce.
Lead markets
Parliament welcomed lead markets for clean, circular, and low-carbon products manufactured in Europe. It stressed the need to stimulate demand through public and private procurement and to introduce sustainability and resilience criteria and standards, where appropriate. Members support the creation of voluntary carbon intensity labels for industrial products (e.g. for steel and cement).
Unfair competition
Members called for the protection of the European market against unfair competition and the dumping of industrial overcapacity from non-EU countries. Stressing the importance of an effective Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), Parliament reiterated its call for a workable export solution to address the risk of carbon leakage for CBAM goods exported from the EU to non-EU countries.
Carbon management
Recognising that carbon management, including carbon capture, storage, transport and use, may be necessary for sectors where emissions are difficult to reduce, Parliament stressed the need to propose a market framework for CO2 in the transport and CO2 infrastructure sector.
SMEs
Lastly, Parliament called for accessible funding for SMEs. It recommended continuing improvements and harmonisation to simplify funding applications, reduce reporting obligations and fast-track small projects.