FEDARENE acknowledge Europe’s necessity to reinforce its manufacturing industry and accelerate industrial decarbonisation. Regions and their energy agencies bring decades of frontline experience supporting clean tech industries and driving territorial decarbonisation, making them indispensable partners in achieving the IAA’s ambition of manufacturing reaching 20% of EU GDP by 2035. Territories such as the Basque Country, Occitanie, and Upper Austria already demonstrate that competitive decarbonisation is achievable through tailored, place-based approaches.
“The Basque Country is living proof that decarbonisation and industrial competitiveness are not in tension. With 25% of our GDP tied to manufacturing, we have had no choice but to make the energy transition work for industry, not against it. That experience, built on the ground, is precisely what the Industrial Accelerator Act needs to draw on. Regions are not observers of this transition. We are its delivery mechanism.”
Mikel Amundarain – FEDARENE Vice-President for Industrial Competitiveness in the Energy Transition – General Manager of the Basque Energy Agency
As the IAA pushes to streamline procedures, establish a single coordinating authority, and designate Industrial Manufacturing Acceleration Areas, these measures must, be grounded in lessons learned from previous EU spatial permitting frameworks, including the Net-Zero Valleys from the NZIA and Renewable Energy Acceleration Areas introduced under REPowerEU. Industrial Manufacturing Acceleration Areas should not only simplify permitting and encourage Member State investments, but also actively facilitate the absorption of European funding for decarbonisation and clean tech deployment. On this point, the French experience is instructive: despite national aid schemes targeting industrial decarbonisation, uptake has remained critically low, and a significant share of available funds goes unclaimed.
Regions and their energy and climate agencies have a well-documented track record in supporting the decarbonisation of companies across the full spectrum, from SMEs to energy-intensive industries. Their involvement is not optional: it is essential to translating the IAA’s ambitions into on-the-ground results.
“Awareness of available support and the ability to mobilise treasury remain two of the most persistent barriers to industrial decarbonisation across all sizes and sectors. These are exactly the challenges that energy agencies have been building expertise in tackling.In Occitanie, we have developed strong, hands-on expertise to turn industrial decarbonisation projects into concrete investments, serving the competitiveness of our territories.“
Stéphane PÉRÉ – FEDARENE Vice-President for Industrial Decarbonisation – Director General of AREC Occitanie
FEDARENE stands ready to contribute its members’ expertise throughout the legislative process and looks forward to engaging constructively with EU institutions at every stage.
