On 1 July, REEF met with the European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra to discuss the pivotal role of the clean electricity value chain in delivering the Clean Industrial Deal and the EU’s 2040 climate target. The dialogue underscored the urgent need to expand Europe’s clean energy value chain as the backbone of Europe’s competitiveness, climate ambition and resilience.

During the meeting, the forthcoming 2040 climate target proposal was discussed. It was noted that while not all elements would be immediately adopted, further measures would follow in subsequent legislative initiatives.

The need for an ambitious European Grid Package was discussed to support the growing importance of electricity grids and the scale of investment required to upgrade and expand them. This includes the expansion of the permitting framework to include grid assets, enhanced support for domestic manufacturing capacity, and improved access to financing.

REEF underlined the importance of pragmatic, solution-oriented collaboration between industry and institutions to ensure that ambition translates into achievable action.