On the occasion of a lunch organised by the Cercle des réseaux européens, Christophe Grudler, ITRE rapporteur on the European Industrial Acceleration Act (IAA), stressed the importance of “Europeanising” the debate.
The objective is clear: to strengthen Europe’s economic sovereignty, secure strategic value chains, and ensure that European investments benefit European stakeholders to a greater extent.
The text also aims to support the reindustrialisation of the continent, with the ambition of increasing the share of European industry to 20% of GDP. Several key sectors are concerned, including energy, steel, aluminium, and critical industrial technologies. Discussions remain open, however, regarding the possible extension of the scope to additional sectors across the value chains of the industries already identified.
The discussions also highlighted the political and legal challenges surrounding the text: defining the scope of “European preference,” determining the role of partner countries, addressing the growing number of delegated acts, and ensuring greater regulatory visibility for investors and businesses.
In a context of increasing international competition, particularly in response to Chinese industrial overcapacity, the IAA is emerging as a key instrument to restore more balanced competitive conditions and strengthen European competitiveness.
Ultimately, the success of the text will largely depend on its ability to build broad political support among Member States in order to reach an ambitious compromise.