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European Council Conclusions include call for an ambitious EU industrial policy

Today, the European Council Conclusions were accepted by EU Heads of State and Government.

 

CLEPA welcomes the inclusion of a significant paragraph entirely dedicated to “Single Market and industrial policy” in which EU leaders call for an “ambitious European industrial policy” that would “foster production and investment in Europe”, “ensure a level playing field”, help “develop new industrial alliances” and “identify strategic dependencies” in order to reduce them.

 

Extract from the European Council Conclusions (1-2 October 2020):

“The EU must pursue an ambitious European industrial policy to make its industry more sustainable, more green, more competitive globally and more resilient. The European Council invites the Commission to identify strategic dependencies, particularly in the most sensitive industrial ecosystems such as for health, and to propose measures to reduce these dependencies, including by diversifying production and supply chains, ensuring strategic stockpiling, as well as fostering production and investment in Europe. It calls for:

·         ensuring a level playing field, and a regulatory environment and state aid framework that are conducive to innovation and facilitate the full involvement of SMEs;

·         developing new industrial alliances, including on raw materials, medical equipment, microprocessors, secure telecommunication networks, low-carbon industries, and Industrial Clouds and Platforms;

·         stepping up the assistance to the existing Important Projects of Common European Interest on Batteries and micro-electronics, and to those being developed by Member States and industry in the context of various alliances (such as on the Internet of Things, Clean Hydrogen), so as to overcome market failures and enable breakthrough innovation. The European Council invites the Commission to help the Member States develop new Important Projects of Common European Interest. Furthermore, it calls for further strengthening synergies between the use of EU and national funds as regards key technological projects, while ensuring transparency and open participation of SMEs;

·         developing EU autonomy in the space sector and a more integrated defence industrial base”.

 

 

Moreover, the 2020-2021 Leaders’ agenda, published by the Council, indicates that European Heads of State and Government shall re-address the topic of “EU industrial policy” during a European Council on 25-26 March 2021.

 

 

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