Masterplan for a Competitive Transformation of EU Energy-intensive industries

To play an active and solution-oriented role in the European debate on Europe’s contribution the EIIs participating in the High-Level Group joined their forces to present a report in September 2018 as their collective contribution to the Commission’s Strategic Vision “A Clean Planet for all”. In February 2019, the High-Level Group agreed to go a step further and develop an Industrial Transformation Masterplan for the implementation of EIIs’ transition towards a climate-neutral and circular EU economy by 2050. The Masterplan is the result of this collective work inspired by the shared ambition of seizing the opportunities of the transition to a climate-neutral economy while addressing the challenge of a fragmented international climate action. The Masterplan is both a contribution to the new Industrial Strategy and a basis for continued collaborative work.

The Masterplan is an outcome of work of the HLG EII organised in three thematic subgroups on (1) creation of markets for climate-neutral, circular economy products, (2) developing of climate-neutral solutions and financing their uptake, (3) resources and deployment. The HLG agreed that the social dimension of industrial transformation is a cross-cutting issue across all subgroups. The subgroups, which in addition to EIIs include representatives of the European Commission, Member States, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), other relevant industrial sectors, NGOs and think tanks, met in March and June 2019. The presented Masterplan identifies strategic priorities in each of these areas.

An observatory should monitor industry’s progress towards climate neutrality and circularity as well as the enabling framework to support the transition.