The European Commission has proposed a new law — the Industrial Accelerator Act — that would introduce “Made in EU” and low-carbon requirements in some public purchasing and support schemes to increase demand for European-made clean technologies and products.
The requirements would apply to selected strategic sectors, including steel, cement, aluminium, cars and net-zero technologies, the Commission announced on Wednesday.
Member states would be required to set up a single digital permitting process intended to speed up and simplify manufacturing projects.
The proposal would also set conditions for major investments in strategic sectors worth more than €100 million in cases where a single non-EU country controls more than 40% of global manufacturing capacity.
Under the plan, those investments would have to meet several criteria, including a minimum level of European employment of 50%.
Investment rules and next steps
The Commission said the conditions attached to the largest investments would include technology and knowledge transfer and compliance with local content requirements.
The proposal takes the form of a draft EU regulation, which will now be negotiated by the European Parliament and EU member states in the Council before it can enter into force.
