Green industrial policy for climate protection & jobs
Industrial Strategy
Tomorrow, Members of the European Parliament will vote on their demands for industrial transformation as the engine of the Green Deal and for climate neutrality by 2050. The results of the vote on the European Parliament's own-initiative report on the Industrial Strategy will be announced tomorrow at around 16:45. The restructuring of European industry should strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the European Union in the long term. MEPs call on the European Commission to present an updated proposal and to take greater account of the Green Deal, greenhouse gas savings and the promotion of renewable energy.
Michael Bloss MEP, Greens/EFA group shadow rapporteur on the Industrial Strategy in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee, comments:
"The decarbonisation of our industry will pave the way to climate neutrality and create jobs. Protecting the climate is a job creator. We must switch from subsidising coal-fired power stations to investing in renewables. The Green Deal can make the European Union the market leader in energy-efficient and resource-saving industrial processes and cutting-edge technologies such as renewable energies, zero-emission steel and the production of electric cars.
"The restructuring of the economy requires serious decisions to be made now, for the sake of investments and planning security. Many companies in the European Union are ready to invest in their sustainable transformation, goods and services, such as e-mobility and emissions-free steel. European governments must quickly reach an agreement on the economic stimulus package and give the starting signal for a crisis-proof and climate-neutral industry."
"The lack of a clear commitment to end coal and gas production, in line with the Paris Climate Change Agreement, is absurd. For a green industrial policy in line with the Green Deal we need renewable energies instead of coal and gas, energy and resource savings, the reduction of greenhouse gases and specific targets for the industrial sectors."
Background
Massive investments are necessary for a climate-neutral industry including energy and resource efficiency, renewable energies and the Circular Economy. Industrial investments must be compatible with climate targets, subject to the EU taxonomy, which sets the framework for environmentally sustainable investments. In the report, MEPs urge a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and the need to create a highly efficient and climate-neutral energy system at globally competitive prices for industry. The Greens/EFA support the report and call for a strategy for 100% renewable energy and a European manufacturing sector. The European Commission published its industrial strategy on 10 March and announced an update for 2021.
