Energy intensive industries: Commission kicks off consultations towards a more resilient, sustainable and digital ecosystem

Today, the Commission invites relevant partners to reflect and contribute on the transition of the energy intensive industries. Industrial partners across different value chains in the energy intensive industries ecosystem, public authorities, social partners, and research organisations can express their views on a set of scenarios and enablers, laying out how energy intensive industries can accomplish the twin transitions, while increasing their resilience. The consultation document also asks stakeholders for an assessment of scale, cost, benefits and conditions of the required actions to accompany the transitions. Through this process of co-creation, a jointly agreed transition pathway will be finalised by early 2022 at the latest. Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, said: “Heavy industries like steel, cement or mining provide some of the most essential materials needed for our economy and employment. But this industrial ecosystem also needs to maintain its competitiveness while contributing to a climate neutral Europe by mid of this century. Today, I invite all stakeholders to work together and propose concrete actions, commitments and investments to unleash this ecosystem’s green and digital potential, while strengthening the resilience of its value chains.” The consultation on the transition pathway for energy intensive industries will last 8 weeks and will also be fed by discussions from the High Level Group on Energy Intensive Industries and other relevant fora. The update of the EU Industrial Strategy published in May 2021 highlights the need to accelerate the green and digital transition of EU industry and its ecosystems. The consultation on the transition pathway on energy intensive industries follows the recently completed consultation on the pathway for the tourism ecosystem. In addition, work is already underway on other priority transition pathways, like the ones for the mobility and construction ecosystems, and the textiles and social economy. More information, here.