‘With the Net-Zero Industry Act, the EU now has a regulatory environment that allows us to scale-up clean technologies manufacturing quickly.’
The finalising of the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), has been welcomed by the European Commission. The Act, says the Commission, will put the European Union on track to ‘strengthen its domestic manufacturing capacities of key clean technologies.’ The NZIA will also increase the competitiveness and resilience of the EU’s industrial base, as well as supporting quality jobs creation. ‘With the Net-Zero Industry Act, the EU now has a regulatory environment that allows us to scale-up clean technologies manufacturing quickly,’ said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Considered by many a response to the US’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is aimed at attracting green investment, the NZIA sends a strong signal of support for green manufacturing. Ahead of the final adoption, Christian Ehler MEP and Member of the European Committee on Industry, Research and Energy ,said: ‘We are finally addressing the issue of strengthening the competitiveness of European Industry. The Green Deal will not work without competitiveness.’
The NZIA sets a benchmark for the manufacturing capacity of strategic net-zero technologies to meet at least 40% of the EU’s annual deployment needs by 2030, the Commission said in its statement. The new regulation is also said to improve conditions for investment in net-zero technologies by simplifying and accelerating permitting procedures, reducing administrative burden and facilitating access to markets.
The Commission noted that energy-intensive industries such as steel, chemicals, or cement, that produce components used in net-zero technologies, and that invest in decarbonisation, can also be supported via measures in the Act.
‘The energy crisis taught us a key lesson: we must avoid any dependency on a single supplier. With the Net-Zero Industry Act, Europe will be well equipped with a stronger industrial base to achieve the clean energy transition,’ said Kadri Simson, the EU commissioner for energy.
The NZIA, which was first announced in early 2023, is part of the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan aimed at improving the EU’s competitive edge by scaling up the EU’s manufacturing capacity for net-zero technologies and products.
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