Advancing Europe’s clean industrial transformation

Faced with high energy costs and fierce competition, European industries need urgent support to thrive in a global marketplace. The European Commission is placing competitiveness at the heart of its economic agenda to turn decarbonisation into a driver of growth for these industries.

A clean industrial deal for the EU

The EU ETS carbon price signal and revenues, used to finance the Innovation Fund, have been central to fostering the decarbonisation of Europe’s industry. Yet, Europe must simultaneously accelerate decarbonisation, reindustrialisation, and innovation to build a stronger business case for significant and urgent decarbonisation investments in energy-intensive industries and clean tech.

The Clean Industrial Deal, published on 26 February, on addresses this challenge and together integrates climate action and competitiveness under one overarching growth strategy. It outlines concrete actions to enable industrial decarbonisation, including the establishment of an Industrial Decarbonisation Bank. 

The Industrial Decarbonisation Bank will mobilise EUR 100 billion from various financial sources, including the Innovation Fund, to address industrial decarbonisation and innovation, ensuring that Europe remains competitive in a rapidly evolving global market. Already in 2025, the Commission will commit EUR 6 billion from the Innovation Fund to support industrial decarbonisation, hydrogen production, and battery manufacturing and launch a pilot auction dedicated to key industrial processes across various sectors.

 Join the conversation at the 2025 Cleantech Conference

The 2025 Cleantech Conference, taking place on 8 April 2025, will explore how the EU navigates towards a competitive, resilient, and decarbonised economy. Focusing on facilitating networking between key players in the future of clean tech innovation, the Conference will gather high-level representatives of EU Institutions, industry stakeholders, investors, and representatives from projects already supported by the Innovation Fund. 

The 2025 edition will be an opportunity to exchange and learn about pivotal topics, including the Clean Industrial Deal, the role of the Innovation Fund in decarbonising emission-intensive industry, harnessing disruptive technologies, competing in the global clean tech race, and financing the clean transition.

Guided through the day by Ewa Krukowska, a senior climate and energy reporter for Bloomberg News in Brussels, who will be the Master of Ceremony, conference attendees will benefit from expertise and insight from high-level representatives from the European Commission on the Clean Industry Deal. They will share the floor with industry-focused networks (CEFIC, Cleantech for Europe), corporations (Schneider Electric), advocacy groups (Environmental Defense Fund) and philanthropies (European Climate Foundation) to discuss how it can propel Europe towards climate neutrality and boost competitiveness. Take a look at the following outlook to some distinguished speakers scheduled to intervene during the conference: 

Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, will share his views on the role of public and private investment in accelerating Europe’s clean transition and ensuring long-term competitiveness.

Five Innovation Fund projects will take the stage for a lightning talk on disruptive technologies (EAVOR LOOP, EVEREST, Grey2Green-II, and Volta). 

Industry leaders (Stegra), policy experts (such as Bruegel, T&E), and investors (European Investment Bank) will participate in a roundtable to explore the challenges and opportunities of scaling up decarbonisation technologies.

Finally, a panel featuring high-level representatives from think tanks (ECFR), intergovernmental organisations (IEA), and industry networks (EIT InnoEnergy) will discuss the challenge of building resilient clean tech supply chains in Europe.

Registrations for on-site participation are open until 24 March 2025. The Conference will be live-streamed.