Scaling European low-carbon production is essential to meeting the EU’s climate objectives, and the upcoming Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) is a key opportunity to make this happen.
Ahead of the European Commission’s proposal on 25 February, Airborne Wind Europe, together with 40 organisations from across European industry, manufacturing, research, think tanks and civil society, has signed a joint statement calling for stronger lead market measures for low-carbon products.
The statement warns that the Commission’s current internal draft risks falling short on demand-side ambition, by mainly focusing on public procurement and potentially making low-carbon requirements optional rather than the default.
It calls for a more robust and predictable framework to create demand at scale, including:
– Lead market measures across a wider range of industrial sectors
– EU-wide, harmonised and performance-based product standards
– Mandatory green public procurement, with complementary low-carbon and EU/EEA origin requirements
– Stronger private demand through demand-side mandates and financial de-risking tools
By strengthening both public and private demand, the EU can support industrial decarbonisation, safeguard competitiveness, and move decisively towards climate neutrality.