EU Report Confirms Hydrogen’s Role in European Competitiveness
Hydrogen Europe has positively commented on the new Competitiveness report, saying it’s exactly what Europe needs.
The final text of The Future of European Competitiveness report was officially presented on 9th September by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and incoming European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Exactly what Europe needs today
The highly anticipated report involved extensive consultations with stakeholders across all societal sectors to identify major European competitiveness barriers.
It offers concrete recommendations to tackle obstacles to innovation, high energy prices, funding needs, regulatory simplification, and the urgent need for digitalisation and defence capacities.
Hydrogen Europe CEO Jorgo Chatzimarkakis credited Mr Draghi’s work, commenting: “This report is exactly what Europe needs today: a strategic and concrete — and perhaps radical — approach to address climate change, technological disruption, energy costs, and Europe’s economic resilience.
It once again highlights that an EU Clean Industrial Deal, which will help Europe to decarbonise while remaining competitive, must be a top priority of this new EU cycle. Decarbonisation can be a catalyst, rather than a hindrance, for Europe’s industrial revival, with hydrogen and its technologies key elements in this transformation.”
Hydrogen sector needs to build upon proven frameworks
Hydrogen is recognised in the report as a transformative technology that will play a pivotal role in driving European competitiveness. Due to the structural changes that Europe will face in the upcoming decade, the hydrogen sector should build upon and extend frameworks that have proven effective.
Hydrogen Europe mentions the Hydrogen Bank and Hydrogen Valleys. The organization wants to bring novelty and rationalisation regarding legislation, governance, and financial firepower to achieve its ambitions.
Daniel Fraile, Chief Policy Officer at Hydrogen Europe, added: “We are happy to see that the report brings a technology-neutral approach to rebuilding EU competitiveness, recognising hydrogen’s importance to decarbonisation alongside other solutions.
Hydrogen Europe advocates for a strong, common effort to provide the financial means for this unprecedented transition and consider all clean hydrogen technologies crucial for revamping the EU’s industrial core. Pooling investment capacity across various levels of the EU will be essential to deploying the clean tech needed to reach climate and energy targets.”
Hydrogen Europe calls on the EU institutions, particularly the upcoming European Commission and Member States, to demonstrate strong commitment and synergies to push for clear, ambitious objectives to position hydrogen as a cornerstone in energy, industry, and competitiveness policies for the next political cycle. This must be done cooperatively with other key net-zero sectors.
