The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will detail at the beginning of the afternoon various tracks which will be debated during a summit of the Heads of State and Government of the EU on December 9 and 10 in Brussels, ahead of decisions in March.

“The Commission wishes to grant Member States more flexibility in granting aid” to companies involved in renewable energies (solar, wind, etc.) and the decarbonisation of industry (hydrogen, electrification, energy efficiency, etc.). .), stipulates a working document of the European executive, consulted by AFP.

Certain investments in new factories could be supported in particular by "tax advantages".

This proposal, defended by Paris and Berlin, is controversial among the Twenty-Seven, and within the Commission itself.

The straitjacket of national subsidies has already been relaxed since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Opening it up further risks benefiting the large rich countries, mainly Germany and France, which could excessively favor their companies to the detriment of their competitors. of the EU.

These two countries have accounted for 53% and 24% respectively of state aid notified since March 2022 as part of an easing linked to the war in Ukraine, against only 7% for Italy, in third place.

"EU competitiveness...cannot be built on permanent or excessive untargeted subsidies," warned finance ministers from seven member countries, including Austria, Denmark and Finland, in a common letter.

To mitigate the risk of fragmentation of the single market, others, France and Italy in the lead, are calling for new joint financing.

Mrs von der Leyen promised in January to work on the establishment of a European sovereignty fund, which will allow “in the medium term” to invest in research or the capital of strategic companies.

"Reduce bureaucracy"

But the idea is rejected by several countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden, hostile to any increase in their contribution to the EU budget.

On this subject too, the debate promises to be lively.

"We can do economic policy without spending money," German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said this week, proposing instead to "reduce bureaucracy".

In the short term, the Commission does not envisage any new EU funding.

It is counting on the mobilization of existing funds, in particular the European recovery plan of 800 billion euros (NextGenerationEU), with possible redeployments to increase the share currently devoted to the green transition (250 billion euros).

Brussels is also planning new legislation that will make it possible to set production targets in key sectors for European sovereignty, to support projects involving several European countries, by accelerating and simplifying authorizations and financing.

Ms. von der Leyen was mandated in December by the leaders of the Twenty-Seven to study a response to the protectionist aid plan to 370 billion dollars decided by the American administration last summer.

For example, it reserves for electric vehicles produced in North American factories the benefit of purchase bonuses.

Brussels and Washington are engaged in negotiations to eliminate the most contested measures, but, aware that the results will be limited, the EU is determined to put its own plan on the table.

European companies are already in a difficult situation.

They are facing soaring energy bills, as the war in Ukraine has deprived the EU of access to cheap Russian gas.

They have also suffered for years from China's unfair practices.

Luca de Meo, Managing Director of Renault and President of the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA), called for "an ambitious industrial policy" on Tuesday, stressing that the sector, engaged in the electrification revolution, "was gradually losing ground compared to its main global competitors".

"Words and good ideas must now be quickly followed by concrete action", underlined Fredrik Persson, president of the European employers' organization BusinessEUrope, which calls for an easing of the regulations weighing on companies in the EU.

© 2023 AFP