Statement: EU Executive Vice-President for Industry hearing at the European Parliament

Today the proposed incoming EU Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, faced his hearing from the European Parliament. In a three-hour session, the Commissioner-designate answered questions from MEPs on the plans and positions he would take, if he was to be confirmed by the Parliament.  

The hearing can be watched back here, and the full hearing schedule for all Commissioner-designates can be found here. Before the Commissioner-designates can take office, the full ‘College’ of Commissioners will be subject to a vote from the European Parliament, and this College could take office as early as December 2024.  

On the Commissioner-designate’s remarks, SolarPower Europe has issued the following reaction. 

Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe, (she/her) said:

“We wholeheartedly welcome the Commissioner-designate’s message that solar manufacturing in Europe is of strategic importance. This is an important clarification in the wake of the Draghi report and confirms that EU leadership agrees with us – it is important not to give up on strengthening the EU solar supply chain.

We agree with the Commissioner-designate’s comments that we need a level playing field but must avoid a trade war. However, Mr Séjourné has not yet offered any of the concrete new measures that are urgently needed – like an EU financing instrument for solar manufacturing.

As the Commissioner-designate says, Important Projects of Common European Interest are a forceful tool but need simplified and faster governance – two years is too long to validate an IPCEI. We reiterate our call for a new IPCEI for flexible electrification, focussed on inverters and software systems that are key for cybersecurity in highly electrified energy systems. Mr Séjourné points out; every 1 EUR invested in an IPCEI generates 2EUR in private sector financing.

The unprecedented growth in solar was a decisive factor in lowering energy costs during the energy crisis and continues to be essential for EU energy security and competitiveness. We installed over 60 GW of solar energy in 2023, powering European households, businesses and industry with clean, reliable and affordable energy. 

Access to affordable solar products from a diversity of sources, including from a European solar value chain, is necessary to achieve the EU's 2030 targets in a resilient and sustainable manner. Solar can further turbocharge EU’s competitiveness, but it needs the EU Clean Industrial Deal and Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act to boost investment in industrial electrification and flexibility. As signatories to the Antwerp Declaration, we stand ready to deliver clean energy for Europe’s industry."

Notes 

• SolarPower Europe signed the Antwerp Declaration in November 2024. The Antwerp Declaration calls for a European Industrial Deal to complement the EU Green Deal and safeguard quality jobs in Europe. Europe’s industries are facing the worst economic downturn in a decade at a period when investments are needed to achieve Europe’s transition to climate neutrality. Urgent action is needed to restore the business case for investments in Europe. Today over 1,200 organisations spanning 25 sectors join in support.

• SolaPower Europe called for an Inverter-based IPCEI in June 2024. 

• In the six months since the signing of the European Solar Charter, there have been positive steps in supporting solar manufacturing on the continent. However, support is spread unevenly across Europe and is not at the level required. Read our State of Play Report here.  

• Read our reaction to the Future of EU Competitiveness Report, authored by Mario Draghi, here.

• SolarPower Europe is calling for a robust industrial strategy with a number of key components: the European Commission adjusting State Aid rules to support the running costs of factories, structured support from the European Investment Bank, dedicated EU Financing and speedy implementation of the NZIA. This industrial strategy must be underpinned by clear market access standards that reflect Europe’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) values, in particular via the upcoming EU Eco-design Directive and Energy Labelling rules for solar PV, which have not been concluded yet as well as the Implementation Guidelines of the EU Forced Labour Ban (FLB) regulation and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). 

Commissioner-designate Stéphane Séjourné speaking at his hearing in the European Parliament in November 2024

© European Union 2024 - Source : EP Download here.