EPICO has co-signed together with 40 organisations from across European industry, research, think tanks and civil society a joint statement ahead of the European Commission’s proposal for an Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).
Scaling European low-carbon production is essential to meeting the EU’s climate objectives — and the IAA represents a crucial opportunity to establish the market framework needed to achieve this.
The forthcoming proposal, expected on 25 February, should create the conditions under which low-carbon industrial production can compete, attract investment and scale across Europe. Strong and credible lead markets are a prerequisite for delivering industrial decarbonisation while maintaining Europe’s competitiveness.
The joint statement expresses concern that the Commission’s current internal draft risks falling short on demand-side ambition. In particular, measures appear largely limited to the public sector, and low-carbon requirements risk becoming optional rather than a default feature of the framework.
To ensure that the IAA effectively accelerates industrial decarbonisation, the signatories call for a more robust and predictable framework to create demand at scale, including:
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Lead market measures across a broader range of industrial sectors
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EU-wide, harmonised and performance-based product standards
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Mandatory green public procurement with complementary low-carbon and EU/EEA origin requirements
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Durable private demand through gradual demand-side mandates combined with financial de-risking instruments
By strengthening both public and private demand, the EU can reinforce its industrial base, safeguard competitiveness, and advance decisively towards climate neutrality.