Climate transition: EU reveals its defense plan in face of Joe Biden’s measures

The European Commission offers in particular to develop, in a transitory and targeted manner, the regime of state aid to facilitate investments in technologies aimed at carbon neutrality.

By Philippe Jacqué (Brussels, European office)

“We live a decisive moment. And we must enter this moment to make the European Union the leader of carbon neutrality technologies.” Wednesday 1 er February, Ursula von der Leyen, The president of the European Commission, did not make in the nuance to promote her industrial plan for the climate transition. A communication expected for six months and the adoption by the US Congress of Inflation Reduction Act, a massive support plan of $ 369 billion – 338 billion euros – to the climate transition industries “Made in America”.

it is an understatement to say that the community executive was expected as the issues are great for these future technologies which must make it possible to respect the 55 % drop in CO _{2 emissions Here to 2050. While the old continent already suffers from the increase in energy prices, linked to the war in Ukraine, of low resources in raw materials, he is now in competition with the massive plans in favor of “Cleantech “Launched in the United States, China, India or Japan. “Europe had already done a lot in this area, recalled M ^{me von der Leyen. But we must keep our leadership in these technologies and continue the efforts.”}}

Since the fall of 2022, European capitals have asked the community executive to go further to accelerate the development, on their European soil, of battery factories, components for renewable energies, for decarbonized production hydrogen, heat pumps, or biofuels. And if the twenty-seven were far from agreeing on the way to respond to its rivals, the “commission made a balanced proposal, which responds to requests and fears of most of the member countries”, judge A European diplomat.

“simplify” the rules

Concretely, to support its decarbonization industry, the Commission proposes to “simplify” the regulatory framework of this development sector, through a legislative text – the law for a neutral carbon industry – presented in March . This text must in particular identify the objectives to be pursued in terms of industrial capacities by 2030, while simplifying and accelerating the procedures for obtaining permit for companies. The executive also proposes to modernize the rules, particularly strict and complex, of public markets in the sector. “Today, for a project of European interest, it is two years of preparation. Tomorrow, it is necessary that it is four months”, defended a European diplomat at the start of the week.

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