It is crucial that the EU not only continues to support but accelerates the implementation of the European Green Deal and its core principles, showcasing our global leadership in sustainable economic transformation. Embracing the European Green Deal is not just a moral imperative but a strategic and forward-looking necessity, offering our industry a predictable path to sustainable prosperity by intertwining economic sustainability and leadership with health and environmental stewardship. Far from being a cost, it is an investment in our future to ensure a high level of protection for human health and environment, the vitality of industries and the preservation of nature. This commitment is essential for maintaining Europe’s competitive edge, fostering job creation, and securing a healthier, toxic-free environment.
Research in innovative (disruptive) solutions for achieving the EU Green Deal goals is supported, in particular where important environmental trade-offs materialise. At the same time, the increased public investments needed to close the green funding gap, must also focus to further scale up proven and available techniques able to ensure a rapid and efficient achievement of health, environmental and strategic autonomy goals at once. Funding should not enable a lock in of activities at the origin of pollution. In parallel, high social criteria should be considered.
EU policies have often primarily concentrated on supply-side, technology-focused measures, and much less on demand-side initiatives, despite bringing multiple co-benefits compared to those prioritising supply-side technological solutions. The aim should be to create stable markets for circular, decarbonised and depolluted products and discourage consumption of hazardous and GHG-intensive products and services. It is time to balance the focus and give priority to demand-side measures to deliver the best ratio of zero to negative external impact per product or service provided.
Ensure full integration and strengthening of just transition measures into industrial policies to have all of society on board in the transition. Committing to social justice across our society, through systemic changes in labour rights, social protection, taxation and redistribution, macro-economic and fiscal rules, the rules that govern corporations and quality public services.
The green industrial transition must support high-quality jobs in Europe with strong health and environmental standards. All economic players willing to enter the EU Single Market must comply with such standards, making the EU a safe haven for industry undertakings in line with planetary boundaries. To avoid the ecological decline caused by industrial activities, it is in the interest of the EU to create a race to the top for environmental and social standards and to create a global level playing field. Moreover, European institutions should work together with representatives of the Global South and lay the basis for local procurement, joint-ventures, technology transfer, knowledge sharing and investment to mobilise the transition in developing countries.
Transparency, public participation, civil and social dialogue are key to strengthening social acceptance and justice. Fair and science-based rules are pivotal to guide investments and ensure predictability, while transparency and public participation are at the basis of public acceptance and buy-in of any industrial operation. Rules should be streamlined, notably through digital infrastructure, but not at the expenses of health and environmental protection, scientific robustness, public deliberation and transparency of permitting and assessment procedures. Industry’s sustainability and competitiveness cannot be secured by degrading further our climate, environment, health and society or disregarding public acceptance.