Industrial Policy Archives

Concerned that excluding Chinese manufacturers of solar panels and other green technologies could slow down the energy transition and raise costs, EU countries on Thursday (7 December) agreed to continue allowing Chinese products for most subsidy programmes for renewable energy.

As EU ministers gather to discuss the proposed ‘Net-Zero Industry Act’ on Thursday (7 December), representatives of the European solar industry have warned against the European Parliament's demand to exclude Chinese solar panels from solar auctions.

A socially equitable green transition ought to rely heavily on technological innovation, American tech mogul and philanthropist Bill Gates told a high-level 'Growth and Climate' conference in Paris on Tuesday (5 December).

European Commission defence experts are asking EU countries and the arms industry how it can make the latter more flexible, cooperative and less dependent on third countries ideas on mapping production capacity, setting up a one-stop shop, and securing budgets, according to documents seen by Euractiv.

As the EU is struggling to balance its economic and security interests amid US-China tensions, South Korea faces similar challenges in a much more accentuated way, requiring the country to take extraordinary care in devising its economic security strategy.

Building on its experience with government-led industrial development, South Korea uses direct government funds to nurture venture capital investments.

To sustain its prosperity and stability, the EU needs to reduce the regulatory burden for companies, finalise more trade agreements and turn the Green Deal into a growth strategy in the coming legislative term, argues Markus J. Beyrer.

With the Net Zero Industry Act due to be voted in the European Parliament on Tuesday (21 November), the EU could exclude Chinese products from public tenders for large renewable energy projects.

As Europe's competitiveness lags behind other world regions, the EU should focus on increasing public and private investment in technology and skills as well as push forward on the green energy transition to ensure reliable clean energy supply, argue Mirek …

The struggling energy transition giant Siemens Energy has successfully petitioned the German government for a guarantee worth €7.5 billion, with parent company Siemens pitching in as well.

Relaxing state aid rules is a step forward in unlocking new green financing, but “we must move quickly” on the capital markets union (CMU) to reach private investors' money, French business association Medef’s chief Patrick Martin said on Monday (13 November).

Multinationals who want access to French public investments must remain in the country for a minimum of ten years after receiving the funds, according to an amendment to the 2024 budget bill.

US Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, speaking in Berlin on Tuesday (31 October), defended the Inflation Reduction Act against criticism from the EU, calling upon European countries to adopt similar policies.

German trade unions are insisting on subsidies for energy-intensive industries in Germany, while the government and business representatives are split.

Despite efforts by the EU to make public authorities consider work conditions when choosing contractors for public orders, most public contracts are still awarded to the lowest bidders, a study by the European Parliament shows.

The EU has fallen behind the US and China in terms of economic growth and innovation, the European Round Table for Industry (ERT) warns in its latest paper, calling for a deeper integration of the EU's single market, a capital markets union, and better incentives to invest in Europe.

In a plea to coalition partners and the European Commission, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) called for more subsidies to secure industrial production and jobs.

The EU will need to spend big and face global challenges autonomously to make enlargement a success, as America is losing interest in Europe, Garance Pineau, the Europe Advisor of the French President, said on Friday (20 October). EU governments are …

China’s decision on Friday (20 October) to curb graphite exports raised the question of creating new EU strategic stocks of critical raw materials, a question that has so far been largely overlooked by Brussels.

The EU's reaction to the current inflationary episode shows that it still follows a macroeconomic paradigm that makes it unable to properly react to the climate crisis and will ultimately lead to economic and ecological misery.

Despite the transition to climate neutrality creating frictions in the short-term, politicians should not change course, investors in green technologies said, asking for clear signals that the transition will be followed through.

The European Parliament voted in plenary in favour of a negotiating mandate for a new Strategic Technologies in Europe Platform (STEP) on Tuesday (17 October) but lawmakers warned this must only be a first step towards a full-fledged sovereignty fund.

As the shift towards electric vehicles majorly changes the employment structure of the automotive industry, car regions should be supported with EU money, the economy minister of Germany’s state of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, told Euractiv in an interview.

Members of the European Parliament from both industry and budget committees voted in favour of the creation of a Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) on Monday (9 October), largely broadening its scope from the Commission proposal and asking for more fresh cash from member states.