On January
9, the European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete
launched the first high-level meeting of the EU Clean Energy Industrial
Competitiveness and Innovation Forum in Brussels.
According
to the European Commission, the meeting’s objective was to consolidate the
industrial basis for renewables in the EU and to gather industry support to
take advantage of the growth opportunities of the clean energy transition.
More than
20 CEOs and industry leaders, including Small and Medium Enterprises, as well
as representatives from international organisations, took part in this dialogue
that focused on how to reinforce the competitiveness of the EU renewable energy
industry’s value chain. The role of research and innovation and trade policy
was also in the centre of discussions.
Following
the High-Level Meeting, a public event with all three sections of the Clean
Energy Industrial Forum will be organised during the EU Industry Days on
February 22-23. According to the European Commission, this will also serve as a
springboard to assert EU industrial leadership in low carbon energy
technologies to be showcased in the 9th Clean Energy Ministerial and the Third
Mission Innovation meetings in Malmö and Copenhagen in the week of May 22-25.
Renewables
groups hailed the Forum. “The Clean Energy Industrial Forum is a breakthrough
moment for solar in Europe and is exactly what the European solar sector
needs,” SolarPower Europe President Christian Westermeier said.
“With this
Forum, the EU and industry players will be able to ensure that policies which
have previously focused only on developing markets, will also focus on making
sure the right supply side strategies are in place in Europe,” he said, citing
a recent study noting that this will generate countless new business
opportunities and jobs – the solar sector alone could support 300,000 jobs by
2030.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/eu-launches-clean-energy-forum-boost-renewables/