Opportunity or disaster? Commission set to launch new EU Industrial Strategy

The European Commission will today publish its new industrial strategy, a unique opportunity for transformational change to the manufacturing sector in the EU.

Ahead of the publication of the strategy, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has set out seven key areas where action is needed to ensure success.

**This statement will be updated once the strategy has been released with a link to the EEB’s detailed response**

The EEB is Europe’s largest network of environmental organisations with more than 160 members in over 30 countries.

Davide Sabbadin, EEB Policy Officer for Climate and Circular Economy said:

“This strategy could be an opportunity to completely transform the way European industry operates. Europe needs to be ready to embrace a new industrial revolution, with clean, safe and sustainable jobs. A strategy that fails to deliver would be a disaster for the aim of reaching climate neutrality and other commitments made in the European Green Deal.”

The seven key areas identified by the EEB are:

(*) Avoiding fossil fuel lock-in

(*) Maintaining ambition

(*) Ending industrial pollution

(*) Financing the right projects

(*) Making the ETS, carbon pricing and a carbon border adjustment effective

(*) Putting material efficiency and the circular economy first

On Wednesday (11 March 2020), the European Commission will publish its Circular Economy Action Plan, which is expected to present a bold agenda to transform the economy and tackle waste.

The new EU Industrial Strategy was announced in the European Green Deal as one of its main pillars and comes after the Masterplan on Energy Intensive Industries presented in December last year.

CONTINUE READING ON eeb.org