Clean Industrial Deal: Boosting European Green Manufacturing with Clean Technologies

On 26 February 2025, the European Commission published its long-awaited Clean Industrial Deal. This initiative lays the foundation for industrial sovereignty and a clean transition across Europe. The Deal outlines key incoming initiatives to support the deployment of renewable and low carbon energy, clean hydrogen, Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU), CCS, bioeconomy, and circularity principles.

CCU is mentioned several times in the Deal as one important clean technology, highlighting its role in defossilising energy-intensive industries and boosting the clean-tech sector, with the text outlining that: “the new measures complement the roll-out of the EU’s long-standing objective to create a market for captured carbon.”

On the same day, our policy team was invited to the European Industry Summit 2025 in Antwerp. This event gathered over 400 CEOs and industry representatives from across Europe where the Clean Industrial Deal was presented. The Deal builds on the Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal, made public in 2024 and of which CO₂ Value Europe is a signatory, with this summit providing an opportunity for industry leaders to exchange with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra.

Throughout the discussions, carbon capture was mentioned several times as one of the important levers to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Industry representatives referred to CCU, directly and indirectly, emphasising the need to incentivise carbon capture storage and utilisation, for alternative carbon feedstocks, and levelling the playing field between fossil and fossil-free resources.

Read CO₂ Value Europe’s full statement on the Clean Industrial Deal here.