Brussels, 26 February 2025
Following the European Union’s Competitiveness Compass, today sees the release of the Clean Industrial Deal to fully decarbonise the European economy by 2050, with the target of 90% by 2040. Seas At Risk backs the EU’s vision of becoming the world leader in circular economy by 2030. But the Clean Industrial Deal misses the mark and fails to address the root causes slowing down progress: ineffective resource management and demand that overshoots planetary boundaries. In a world of instability, protectionist policies, trade tensions and restrictions, it is imperative that the EU focuses on reducing the amount of goods, fuels and materials shipped in and out of the continent – just as important as shifting to cleaner fuel sources. Strong circularity regulations should be at the heart of supply chains to cut waste and reduce the dependance of raw materials. After all, less products and more repairs lead to fewer imports, making decarbonisation easier.
While ramping up the race to decarbonise is welcome, the Commission’s move to accelerate renewable energy permitting (with proposals under the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act and Affordable Energy Action Plan) risks undermining environmental safeguards and citizen participation. The Commission must ensure that the shortening of permitting does not create further deviations from environmental legislation. Instead, the Commission should target true bottlenecks hindering renewables development such as the lack of digitalisation, the lack of sufficient resources and adequate skills for permitting authorities, and the lack of standards in environmental impact assessments.
Meeting human needs without pushing the planet beyond its limits must be part of the core plan of the Clean Industrial Deal. Shorter and smarter supply chains are a proven fix on the path of decarbonisation. Simply reorganising shipping routes could have a reduction in emissions of as much as 38% by making global trade more efficient. But shipping needs more than just better routes: the sector must move away from fossil fuels, reduce unnecessary freight, and bring production closer to home to shorten supply chains. Reorienting carbon-intensive sectors like shipping to renewable energy forms and renewable alternative fuels will make EU industries more efficient and more competitive.
The Clean Industial Deal is a glowing opportunity for the EU to lead the charge in circularity (1). By including ambitious targets to halve energy demand, reduce material demand, and make supply chains shorter and more efficient, the EU can achieve cross-sectoral, Paris-compatible decarbonisation goals by 2040. (2)
Sian Prior, Shipping Director from Seas At Risk, said: “It is clear that the European Union wants a waste free, low-carbon economy by 2050, and this will have a massive impact on the future of shipping. It’s not just about cutting emissions but we also need to look at what we ship and how we ship. Unnecessary consumption – of fossil fuels, foodstuff, raw materials and manufactured goods – must be tackled head on in the Clean Industrial Deal to curb the repercussions of climate change.”
Ljuba Ferrario, Offshore Renewable Energy Officer from Seas At Risk, said: “While we welcome the Clean Industrial Deal and Affordable Energy Action Plan’s objective to fast-track the renewable energy transition, we urge the Commission to keep the bar high for social and environmental standards. Instead of weakening environmental legislation and rights to public consultation, the Commission must focus on the true obstacles hindering permitting, such as inadequate resources, under supported permitting authorities, and differing approaches to environmental impact assessments. Local communities and ecosystems must not come last in Europe’s race to decarbonise.”
Editor’s notes:
- As a continuation of its Circular Economy Action Plan, the Blue Manifesto – endorsed by more than 140 organisations — calls on the European Commission to propose a Sustainable Resource Management Directive with binding science-based resource reduction targets for land- and sea-based sectors.
- According to the Paris Agreement-Compatible (PAC) scenario 2.0 developed by Climate Action Network Europe and the European Environmental Bureau, the EU could reach climate neutrality by 2040, ten years ahead of current EU objectives. The PAC scenario explains how this can be achieved, namely by transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2040, phasing out fossil fuels and nuclear energy, and halving energy demand by 2040 compared to 2020.
Photo by Ian Simmonds on Unsplash
Posted on: 26 February 2025
