The Net-Zero Industry Act makes the EU the home of clean technology manufacturing and green jobs

On 27 May, a law called the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) was passed, which is part of the Green Deal industrial plan. This law aims to increase the EU's production capacity for the technologies needed to achieve climate neutrality. These are technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps, batteries, electrolyzers and nuclear technologies, including key components such as photovoltaic cells and wind turbine blades.

The NZIA aims for the EU to cover at least 40 % of its annual needs in the area of introducing strategic technologies with a zero carbon footprint by 2030. This target value is intended to provide predictability, certainty and long-term signals for producers and investors, which will allow monitoring the progress of achieving the targets. The law also sets a target of an annual injection capacity of 50 million tonnes of CO2 into geological storage in the EU by 2030, which will support carbon capture and storage and increase the availability of CO2 storage in Europe.

The new legislation improves the conditions for investments in technologies with a zero carbon footprint by simplifying and speeding up permitting processes, reducing administrative burdens and facilitating access to markets. Public authorities will have to take into account criteria such as sustainability and resilience in clean technology projects and auctions for the deployment of renewable energy.

The law also includes measures to support education, training and innovation through the establishment of Net-Zero Industry Academies. Regulatory sandboxes will be created to allow for flexible regulatory conditions to test innovative technologies with a zero carbon footprint. The Net-Zero Europe platform will serve as a central coordination center where the Commission and EU countries can discuss, exchange information and receive input from stakeholders. (More on ec.europa.eu)