Faced with high energy costs and fierce global competition, European industries need urgent support. This is why the European Commission has launched the Clean Industrial Deal outlining concrete actions to turn decarbonisation into a driver of growth for European industries. This includes lowering energy prices, creating quality jobs and the right conditions for companies to thrive.
The Deal presents measures to boost every stage of production, with a focus on:
- energy-intensive industries such as steel, metals, and chemicals, that urgently need support to decarbonise, switch to clean energy, and tackle high costs, unfair global competition, and complex regulation
- the clean-tech sector which is at the heart of future competitiveness and necessary for industrial transformation, circularity, and decarbonisation.
Another element of the Deal is circularity which aims to reduce waste and extend the life of materials by promoting recycling, reuse, and sustainable production. Maximising EU’s limited resources and reducing overdependencies on third-country suppliers for raw materials is crucial for a competitive and resilient market.
In order to promote the acquisition of the skills necessary for the realisation of the Deal’s objectives, the European Commission is going to:
- propose to establish Net-Zero Industry Academies that will help roll out up-skilling and re-skilling programmes in strategic industrie
- consider how to combine a ‘Skills-first’ approach, recognising actual skills, with existing approaches based on qualifications
- look at how to facilitate access of third country nationals to EU labour markets in priority sectors
- look at measures to foster and align public and private funding for skills development
At the same time the European Union, through Erasmus+ will reinforce education and training programmes to develop a skilled and adaptable workforce, and address skills shortages in key sectors, with up to €90 million in funding.