Today, 22 February 2024, the European Parliament's Industry Committee voted on the Net Zero Industry Act. Henrike Hahn MEP (The Greens/EFA) , member of the Industry Committee and Industrial Policy Spokesperson of the German Greens in the European Parliament, comments:

"The Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) aims to increase the capacity to produce green technologies in Europe and contribute to the EU's industrial resilience.

The Net-Zero Industry Act is the first legislative proposal at Union level that is dedicated to concrete European industrial policy in a comprehensive manner. The NZIA is a clear commitment to a net-zero economy by 2050 and to the urgency of creating massive amounts of green, high-quality jobs in Europe. This is long overdue, as China and the USA are not sleeping.

Speeding up authorisation procedures with fixed time limits will give Europe's companies more certainty and predictability for their investments. Training and lifelong learning are promoted through "Net-Zero Academies" - Europe needs well-trained specialists to be able to continue producing top products for the global market in the future.

The NZIA contains much that is positive, but also problematic elements. The mandatory consideration of sustainability and resilience criteria in public procurement in sectors in which the EU is highly dependent on individual third countries is highly welcome. This will make Europe more independent on its way to an emission-free future.

Unfortunately, the final trilogue result misses the opportunity to place a stronger focus on precisely those key sustainable industries that Europe needs for its decarbonisation and future competitiveness.

EU member states that want to do so can promote nuclear technology, among other things, and the draft also goes very far in the area of carbon capture and storage (CCS). Even applications that are not technologically mature can be supported by the NZIA, which needs to be discussed further.

With the final outcome of the negotiations, it is now much easier to achieve the status of a strategic project than in the Commission proposal, which further dilutes the green focus of the NZIA. For us Greens, however, it is crystal clear that we need a strong, unequivocal focus on emissions reduction and renewable energies.

The fact that non-strategic projects and projects in protected areas can also be of primary public interest in the context of "Net-Zero Industry Valleys" is another cause for concern. Nature conservation must not be undermined in attempting to build a competitive industrial policy, but must always be adequately respected."

 

I will be happy to answer any further questions.