The EU should lead the green steel race… Or it could be left behind in the dust
A wave of low-carbon steel projects should be launched across the EU by 2030 but how commercially viable they are is still to be seen. According to Agora Industry, two critical factors underpin this uncertainty: a carbon price below EUR 150 per tonne of CO2 emissions (currently it’s below EUR 60) and average electricity prices […]
Implementing the EU digital battery passport
Introduced as part of the new EU regulatory frameworks for ecodesign and batteries, the digital product passport (DPP) supports the collection and sharing of product-related data among supply chain actors. As the first tool of this kind globally, it aspires to address existing information gaps for products and components throughout global supply chains, thus becoming […]
In turbulent times, the EU must make up its mind on offshore wind in low and medium wind speed regions
In pursuing the EU’s strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness, offshore wind’s significance cannot be overstated. President von der Leyen announcing the European Wind Power Package during her State of the European Union address has confirmed wind energy as a cornerstone of the EU’s upcoming comprehensive industrial policy, which itself is fortified by the Green Deal […]
Jobs for the green transition
In recent years, the concept of green jobs has been the focus of increasing attention from both policy and research circles. At the EU policy level, the green transition is seen as an opportunity to create jobs in existing and emerging economic sectors. The need for re- and upskilling workers to ensure a socially […]
Are we about to see a big bonus for Europe’s low-carbon ETS producers?
The EU’s legislators are in the final stages of deciding on updates to some of the most important EU climate policies – the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and the new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). High energy prices have led to anxiety about Europe’s industrial future. More than ever, safeguarding industrial competitiveness is at […]
Industrial Transformation in a time of crisis
The war in Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis have shaken the European economy and put domestic energy-intensive industries under severe pressure. Heeding these concerns, EU policymakers have reasserted the objectives of the Green Deal and acknowledged the importance of a rapid energy transition for decarbonisation, industrial competitiveness, and energy security. However, to concretely support […]
Carbon removals on the road to net zero
Negative emissions will be needed on an increased scale to meet the EU’s climate targets, in particular climate neutrality by 2050. This Policy Insight examines different policy options for the EU to support the deployment of negative emissions technologies. After presenting an overview of measures to support negative emissions around the world, the EU’s climate […]
A tale of two prices
A steep rise in energy prices is currently making news headlines across Europe, with the costs of natural gas and electricity being keenly felt by consumers and industry. Moving away from the news cycle though, the underlying forces at work behind these increases are complex and nuanced. They are also intertwined with the various EU […]
Setting the context for an EU policy framework for negative emissions
Negative emissions – the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – will be needed in the EU and globally to reach long-term climate targets. This scoping paper explores the different concepts relevant to discussing negative emissions in an EU policy context, starting with the scientific basis described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change […]
European Green Deal
If the European Green Deal is going to be a successful growth strategy, it will need to set in motion a profound industrial transformation in line with the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality objective. Transforming industries requires industrial policies. This report, prepared in the context of the CEPS Industrial Policy Task Force, presents 12 recommendations that […]
What role for forest-based industries in a climate-neutral future?
Climate neutrality in the European Union and globally will lead to a deep transformation of existing industrial value chains, bringing new and lower-carbon products, processes and novel business models. This transformation will affect the entire industrial sector, notably including all energy-intensive industries, forest-based industries among them. The sector represents a full value chain, from forest […]
Biomass and climate neutrality
Sustainable biomass will play a major role in ambitions for a carbon-neutral Europe. But it has repercussions for the environment, land use and food security, among others. This Policy Insight holds that choices made today will affect the options available in future. The complexity of the issues calls for separately assessing each type of biomass […]