Transport Decarbonisation Is A Lever For Industrial Competitiveness But The EU Budget Fails To Capitalise On It - CleanTechnica

The article critiques the post-2027 EU budget proposal for failing to adequately leverage transport decarbonisation as a means to boost industrial competitiveness. While the new European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) allocates €67 billion over seven years for climate transition and industrial decarbonisation, €40 billion of this amount is repurposed from existing funds, leaving insufficient new resources to scale up clean technologies. Key sectors like battery manufacturing and sustainable aviation and shipping fuels risk being underfunded, threatening up to 100,000 jobs in the battery industry alone. Although the budget introduces positive elements such as production aid for clean products and “Made in EU” requirements favoring local suppliers, the overall funding is deemed too limited to establish a robust green industrial strategy. Additionally, the proposal sets a 35% target for climate and biodiversity investments, which is considered inadequate for meeting EU climate goals, and does not exclude fossil fuel subsidies. The dismantling of the LIFE program, a core EU climate