French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton both advocated for a change in thinking regarding industrial policy and the US in separate addresses on Thursday.
“Europe has been consumer-focused for way too long”, Macron said in a speech at the Elysée on Thursday, saying this inhibited the growth of any meaningful EU industrial makeup over the past thirty years.
Macron’s speech echoed Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton’s claim at a roundtable earlier the same day, where he said Brussels is undergoing a “true change” in industrial policy.
According to Macron, the EU has been misguided in thinking of itself “as an open market” and always looking for lower prices. As a result, the EU created dependencies with third countries, notably the United States and China.
“We are not destined to become consumers of the American industry”, the president insisted.
Nor does he want to depend on China. “Rather than trying to fight the Chinese, we are going to do the same as they do: defend our European sovereignty and produce what we need in Europe”, he said.
The EU’s response to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a massive investment package to support the US green industry, proves that Europe is finally making the green industrial transition “the mother of all battles”, he added.
Breton, who participated in a panel discussion before Macron’s speech, also claimed that pushing for a green industry “precedes the IRA” with the Green Deal, refuting any accusation that the EU’s response to the IRA was fuelled by panic.
A ‘European regulatory pause’
Macron called for a “European regulatory pause” on environmental constraints, thus giving industrial actors more time to adapt their production capabilities.
This comes as the European Commission introduced major reform plans to support the decarbonisation of the European economy, not least with the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). While the NZIA aims for a more autonomous EU industry, CRMA seeks to increase the amount of critical raw materials sourced in the EU.
Macron also wants to enable major European industrial investments, notably by creating a Sovereignty Fund, which he is actively promoting.
The French government will present a “green industry” bill early next week focusing on professional training for industrial jobs, targeted investment and cutting red tape.
(Theo Bourgery-Gonse | EURACTIV.fr)
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