A few days before the European summit on competitiveness (17 and 18 April), the think tank Strategic Perspectives has published a report on the EU’s industrial strategy. The document authors identify four priority areas for action to strengthen the EU’s economic security: affordable energy, a new industrial strategy, new funding and economic partnerships.
The recently adopted Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) is a step forward, but will not be enough to meet the EU’s targets, according to Strategic Perspectives. The main reason for this is the lack of financial support to really increase production capacity.
On the question of financing, Strategic Perspectives puts forward the idea of granting additional flexibility to Member States for State aid in the case of European projects. It also calls for a European Green Deal Investment Fund.
The document also identifies supporting the development of low-carbon technologies in middle- and low-income countries as a strategic priority. According to the authors, this could “foster their sustainable development pathways as well as bring down global technology prices”.
See the recommendations: https://aeur.eu/f/bpz (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)