Renew Europe shapes groundbreaking legislation for EU reindustrialisation

The deindustrialisation of Europe is a real threat. This is the main warning of the recently published Letta report on the current and future state of the Internal Market. And action is urgently needed as the EU´s economy will not thrive without EU industries. That´s why Renew Europe welcomes today’s plenary endorsement of the trilogue agreement on the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA). This aims to incentivize European reindustrialisation, namely in clean technologies production. Together with the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the Chips Act, or the Industrial Alliances, the adopted legislation paves significantly the way to regain our industrial sovereignty.

The final compromise expands the scope to all clean technologies contributing to decarbonisation (including renewables and nuclear technologies). Clear, shorter and predictable permitting processes for manufacturing Net Zero technologies plants will be introduced. Additionally, administrative support, public interest status and reduced red tape will also encourage all sort of industries to choose Europe for their next investments. We also made sure that public procurements will be a strong lever where resilience, sustainability and reciprocity from third countries should become the guiding principle.

MEP Christophe Grudler, (Mouvement Démocrate, France), Renew Europe’s shadow on NZIA, declared:

“The EU Green deal will not go through without EU industries. The Net Zero Industry Act will help us to strengthen our industrial sovereignty by expanding the production of clean technologies “Made in Europe”. With this text, we support innovation and facilitate permits, one of the major hurdles for industries to settle in the EU. In the context of anti-competitive practices and massive subsidies from China and the United States, NZIA is the first European answer for our industries to succeed, while reaching our climate goals. The age of innocence is over”.

Likewise, putting in place an ambitious training policy to prepare workers for the challenges of the future labour market is key to fight unemployment, enhance our Union’s competitiveness and increase our industrial sovereignty. In that regard, Renew Europe played a decisive role in ensuring ambitious Net-Zero Industry Academies, a key component of this Regulation to boost EU’s manufacturing leadership in net-zero technologies. These academies will develop training programmes that will cover all types of education and qualification levels, ensuring that all workers can benefit from cutting-edge learning materials.

MEP Marie-Pierre Vedrenne (Mouvement Démocrate, France), rapporteur on the opinion issued by the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, which had exclusive competences on NZIA, added:

“Ensuring a skilled EU workforce in net zero technologies isn't just about industrial revival - it's about reclaiming our sovereignty. We must prioritise ambitious funding for Net Zero Academies to empower individuals through training and fortify the global standing of our companies. Renew Europe has been relentless in pushing for environmental and social criteria in public procurements tied to net-zero projects, championing European businesses and advocating for jobs that embody equality and social justice. This commitment aims to promote European enterprises and cultivate high-quality employment opportunities that prioritize fairness and social equity. It is a first step towards the implementation of a much-awaited 'Buy European' Act”.

Finally, the text strikes an adequate balance on tackling EU’s climate targets without undermining the competitiveness of our industries. Thus, the legislation enables a regulatory framework for carbon capture and storage and takes into account proximity and high environmental standards in the development of CO2 transport infrastructures.

MEP Erik POULSEN (Venstre, Denmark’s liberal party), Renew Europe’s shadow on the opinion issued by the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, which had exclusive competences on NZIA, stated:

“EU needs to accelerate the production of clean technologies such as wind turbines, energy efficiency, bio-based technologies and carbon capture and storage technologies to strengthen the competitiveness of net-zero technologies manufacturing in the EU. NZIA provides an ambitious framework with clear, predictable and faster permitting processes while ensuring environmental standards are kept. EU has at the same time taken the first important step towards a regulatory framework for the development of CO2 transport infrastructure needed to accelerate carbon capture and storage technologies”.