16 October 2025 - Business and investors met policymakers in the European Parliament to discuss the enabling conditions for industrial decarbonisation and long-term competitiveness in Europe.
On 16 October 2025, the Corporate Leaders Group Europe organised a breakfast discussion, kindly hosted in the European Parliament by MEP Radan Kanev, where business and investor presented the joint statement calling for an effective Clean Industrial Deal.
The event opened with reflections on the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), highlighting the need for smart, market-based mechanisms to support industries in their transition. Participants stressed that while industries have diverse decarbonisation pathways, policymakers should focus on enabling and supporting these efforts, ensuring front runners are effectively rewarded and that there’s no incentive for laggards or non-complying actors
Throughout the discussion, regulatory stability emerged as a central theme. Speakers emphasised that long-term visibility and consistent policy signals are critical to unlocking private investment and guiding industrial transformation. The importance of clear targets, particularly a 2040 climate goal, was repeatedly noted as a driver of investor confidence and business planning. Financial instruments tailored for sector specific needs were also part of the conversation.
The event also explored Europe’s opportunity to lead in clean technologies, including battery manufacturing, transports electrification, and circular economy solutions. Participants called for investment across full value chains and stressed the need for lead markets instruments, adequate green public procurement framework, and enabling policies to support scaling-up clean innovation.
All participants agreed on the role of electrification as cornerstone of industrial decarbonisation, with calls for incentives and infrastructure to support long-term grid efficiency and stability, as well as to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The role of SMEs was also highlighted, alongside the need to address systemic cost barriers such as energy taxation.
Circularity was discussed as a strategic asset, with concerns raised about affordability and access to recycled materials. Participants urged policymakers to ensure that the Clean Industrial Deal embeds circular economy principles and supports competitiveness through material innovation.
The conversation also touched on financial innovation, digitalisation, and the emerging role of AI in sustainability, with calls for targeted incentives and transparency in corporate transition plans to guide capital allocation.
Social equity and citizen engagement were emphasised as vital to the success of the transition. Speakers noted the importance of ensuring that industrial policy delivers visible benefits to communities across Europe, such as through renovation programmes and inclusive mobility solutions like social leasing schemes.
The event concluded with a call for unity. The Clean Industrial Deal was framed not only as an economic strategy but as a societal transformation, one that requires collaboration, ambition, and a shared commitment to sustainable growth.
