MEPs Christian Ehler (EPP, German) and José Manuel Fernandes (EPP, Portuguese) presented their draft report on the regulation establishing the ‘Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform’ (‘STEP’) to the Industry Committee (ITRE) on Thursday 7 September. Their position is in line with that of the rapporteurs on the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), who want to increase resources for STEP by €3 billion compared to what the European Commission has proposed (see EUROPE 13226/4, 13205/3).
According to Mr Ehler and Mr Fernandes, the aim is to increase the funds available for strategic projects in the EU through the ‘InvestEU’ programme, in the form of guarantees. They also believe that the European Innovation Council should receive additional funding.
The majority of the political groups that took part in the debate in the joint ITRE and BUDG committees expressed their support for the rapporteurs’ proposal to increase the ‘STEP’ budget and once again regretted that the Commission had not proposed a genuine sovereignty fund to support European industry (see EUROPE 13226/4, 13226/4).
In addition to financial resources for ‘STEP’, Christian Ehler stressed the need to simplify and rationalise its operation and scope of action. This means using the same terms that already exist in other relevant texts relating to EU industrial policy. For example, ‘clean techs’ are to become ‘zero emission technologies’ in the text, as described in the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA). “It makes no sense for STEP to use its own terminology”, he insisted. Mr Ehler is also rapporteur on the NZIA (see other news).
See the draft report on ‘STEP’: https://aeur.eu/f/8h4 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)