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Focus on industrial ecosystems
The Commission wants to support identified ecosystems with a tailor-made approach. These ecosystems include players from the whole value chain: start-ups to large companies, academia to research, service providers to suppliers.
The Commission will build on the work of the Strategic Forum on Important Projects of Common European Interests (IPCEIs). It will also collaborate with an Industrial Forum, which will be set up by September 2020. This Industrial Forum will be composed of industry, social partners, researchers, Member States and EU institutions. Through this work, some ecosystems will be identified as requiring support. Support will take the shape of regulatory action, financing or better use of trade defence instruments.
The Commission indicates that industrial alliances, such as the European Battery Alliance, could be the appropriate approach to support identified ecosystems.
Green transition
All industrial value chains, including energy-intensive sectors, will have to reduce their carbon footprints, and provide clean technology solutions. The Commission would like to create lead markets in clean technologies and clean energy. In addition, green procurement (green purchasing) will be favoured through a new legislation.
The Commission could propose a Carbon Border Adjustement Mechanism in 2021, if other parts of the world do not share the same green ambitions. This woul avoid “carbon leakage” where imported products are produced in a way detrimental to the environment.
Besides carbon emissions, the Commission pays special attention to raw materials, which should be re-used in a systematic way. This is the object of the new Circular Economy Action Plan, presented on 11 March (a briefing will follow soon). Raw materials are not only an issue of sustainability but also sovereignty, as demand for raw materials is projected to double by 2050. Diversification of supply is a key priority for the Commission.
Key enabling technologies
Europe will support the development of key enabling technologies: robotics, microelectronics, high-performance computing and data cloud infrastructure, blockchain, quantum technologies, photonics, industrial biotechnology, biomedicine, nanotechnologies, pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and technologies. Artificial intelligence is also mentioned as a crucial technology.
Moreover, the Commission underlines that Europe must invest in digital infrastructures, for instance in 5G and 6G networks. The EU will notably develop a critical Quantum Communication Infrastructure to deploy in the next 10 years a certified secure end-to-end infrastructure based on quantum key distribution to protect key digital assets (see Eurosmart’s issue tracker for more information).
The Commission explains that public-private partnerships (established under Horizon Europe) will be useful tools to develop such technologies. The Commission also mentions IPCEIs, which allow Member States to pool financial resources to support key value chains.
Single Market and standards
Together with the industrial strategy, the Commission adopted a Single Market Enforcement Action Plan, which creates a Single Market Enforcement Task Force. This Task Force will be composed of the Member States and the Commission. It will assess the state of compliance of national law with single market rules, and prioritise the most pressing barriers.
The Commission stresses the need for well-functioning systems for standardisation and certification. The EU should develop new standards and technical regulations, and increase its participation in standardisation bodies. The Commission underlines that the EU must use the impact, size and integration of its single market to set global standards in line with its values.
Internal and foreign competition
The Commision is currently reviewing its competition framework to ensure that it is still in line with current economic realities. In addition, revised State aid rules will be implemented in 2021 in some priority areas, such as energy and environmental aid.
On the global stage, the Commission will explore by mid-2020 how best to strenghten anti-subsidies mechanisms and tools. A White Paper on an Instrument on Foreign Subsisdies will be published. The White Paper will also tackle the issue of non-reciprocal market access. A legislative instrument will follow in 2021.
Next steps:
11 March 2020: new Action Plan on Circular Economy
Mid-2020: White Paper on an Instrument on Foreign Subsidies
September 2020: set up of the Industrial Forum
2021: potential adoption of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism | revised State aid rules in priority areas | legislative instrument on foreign subsidies
Eurosmart’s issue tracker: The issue tracker is updated accordingly. You can find it here. Do not hesitate to ask for your personal access.
For any question on this issue, do not hesitate to contact Camille Dornier: camille.dornier@eurosmart.com
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