By adopting the ‘Berendsen’ report (500 votes in favour, 40 against, and 18 abstentions) on Thursday, 15 September, the European Parliament has called for the transition pathways that were foreseen in the industrial strategy to be quickly presented by ecosystem.
“The European Union needs a long-term Industrial Strategy that provides perspective for European companies who are battling against strong headwinds”, declared Tom Berendsen (EPP, Dutch), citing the energy crisis and disruptions in the supply of raw materials, especially with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
MEPs are thus urging the European Commission to present these “clear and science-based transition pathways for the industrial ecosystem” as soon as possible. They insist on identifying needs with regard to not only infrastructure and technology but also skills and urge the European Commission to present a strategy focused on the transition of the most energy-intensive industries.
The report emphasises the need for alignment among these transition pathways, the industrial technology roadmaps, and the Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas of the European Partnerships under the framework programme Horizon Europe.
Moreover, MEPs are calling on the European Commission to quickly set the ball rolling on the work of the European Industrial Alliance for Processors and Semiconductor Technologies—work that had been delayed. They warn that funding already earmarked for other EU programmes could be redirected.
In general, the rapporteur stresses, “Public spending and incentives should be aligned [with] the priorities we set up in this Industry Strategy”.
Some observers in the European Parliament felt that recent developments and announcements by the European Commission had already made the report obsolete and that the European Parliament should adopt a new report (see EUROPE 12951/13).
To access the own-initiative report: https://aeur.eu/f/33y (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)