The old continent wants to get up to speed with the energy transition.

The European Commission will propose legislation to target "an industry with net zero emissions" in greenhouse gases, and therefore carbon neutral, by boosting green technologies, its president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday in Davos.

“This new regulation (…) will set clear targets for clean technologies by 2030. The aim will be to focus investments on strategic projects along supply chains” and “to simplify and speed up procedures authorization of new production sites” of green technologies, she declared in a speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The EU has set itself the target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, and of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, as part of its ambitious Pact green.

Rapidly deploy renewable energy

To achieve this, "we must create a regulatory environment that allows rapid deployment and generates favorable conditions for essential sectors (…) wind and solar energy, heat pumps, clean hydrogen or even storage devices", argued Ursula. von der Leyen.

“In parallel, we will reflect on ways to speed up procedures on European cleantech 'projects of common interest', to facilitate their financing as well as access for small businesses,” she added.

According to the head of the European executive, this new legislation – which will have to be the subject of negotiations between the Member States and the European Parliament – ​​“will follow the model” of the text already proposed by the Commission to boost its production of semiconductors .

The semiconductor industry scrutinized

Brussels had thus presented in February 2022 a plan of 43 billion euros in favor of the semiconductor industry, to reduce European dependence on Asia and conquer 20% of the world market in 2030. The text provided in particular for a relaxation of the regulatory framework on public aid to finance research into the most innovative technologies and pilot lines to prepare for their industrialization.

Finally, "the regulation for a net zero emission industry will go hand in hand with a text on critical raw materials", which aims in particular to secure EU supplies of rare earths and lithium, essential for the electrification of the industry and green infrastructure (wind turbines, solar panels, etc.), stressed Ursula von der Leyen.

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  • Environment

  • Energetic transition

  • Planet

  • Ursula von der Leyen

  • European Union (EU)

  • Brussels