24/01/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 24 January, the European Commission opened a consultation on the implementation of the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) (see EUROPE 13564/33). This time, the aim is to specify, in an implementing regulation, certain criteria relating to auctions, on which the NZIA has an impact. It stipulates that a specific share of auctions for certain technologies must include: - pre-qualification criteria relating to responsible business conduct, cybersecurity and data security; - pre-qualification or award criteria to assess the contribution of auctions to sustainability and resilience. The implementing regulation specifies these criteria to ensure uniform application of the NZIA across the twenty-seven Member States. Interested parties have until 24 February to comment on the draft text. See the initiative: https://aeur.eu/f/f85 (LM)