18 October 2021 – CLG Europe Director Eliot Whittington sent a letter to the Ministers of the Competitiveness Council including a number of recommendations on how the Fit for 55 package can strengthen its approach with Industry.
Read the letter in full here.
Following the 29 September Competitiveness Council, the letter aims to highlight how the Competitiveness Council, working with industry, can ensure a successful green transition, underpinned by the European Green Deal and the EU Industrial Strategy.
“As highlighted by Vice-President Šefčovič, Europe will benefit from a ‘first mover advantage’ by embracing the future of climate neutral, green technologies and business models ahead of other regions. The EU’s new growth model and European Green Deal show that we can and should make a success of our competitive sustainability and work hard to demonstrate this in practice”
“From our analysis on Industry, I would also like to highlight the following areas where further work can be done to improve the effectiveness for the Fit for 55 package:
- The development and implementation of industry roadmaps, with interim targets and milestones to net zero emissions by at least 2050.
- More efficient use of public administration and local authorities’ procurement rules to create demand for low carbon materials, production technologies and manufactured goods.
- Introducing additional financial instruments and funding aimed at improving market readiness and ability to scale up innovative clean technologies and solutions.
- Implementing CBAM in a way that is compatible with healthy trade relations and the World Trade Organization rules.
- Aligning energy and other enabling infrastructure plans to support the transition to net zero industry.“
The policy recommendations are built upon CLG Europe’s publication, Fit for 55? A progressive business perspective on the EU’s transformative climate package.
Eliot Whittington, Director, CLG Europe said:
“The ground-breaking European Fit for 55 Package of climate policies provides a unique framework to enable businesses to help deliver a robust and climate neutral economy by 2050. But while the package provides clear signals to business on the direction of travel, it also has to ensure the economic transformation creates opportunities for growth and job creation, while improving the health, wellbeing and prosperity for EU citizens. This means greater clarity is needed on how future disruptions across economic sectors will be addressed, in particular in relation to skills and measures to ensure the just transition.”
