Hydrogen Europe has responded to the measures announced today by the European Commission, highlighting that lead markets are central to the plan. Renewable and low-carbon hydrogen technologies remain a key pillar of this strategy.
“By stimulating demand and rewarding pioneers—shifting the focus from a push to an attraction approach—the Clean Industry Pact has the potential to revitalise Europe’s clean technology sectors, including hydrogen,” said Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe. However, he tempered his optimism with a warning: “If we don’t see positive developments in the next 18 months, we are almost certain to miss our 2030 climate targets. Prioritising demand, simplifying production regulations, and improving access to financing for clean technologies will be critical to avoiding failure.”
Among the proposed measures, Hydrogen Europe welcomes the commitment to ensuring affordable energy, noting that this “should benefit green hydrogen production, which, while energy-intensive, can provide much-needed grid flexibility.” The association also stressed the importance of project labelling and incentives for decarbonisation initiatives: “Enhancing the EU single market to support lead markets for low-carbon products—through improved labelling and procurement rules—will strengthen the business case for products like green steel and green ammonia.”
However, Hydrogen Europe criticised the plan for lacking a truly integrated approach to the energy sector. Most notably, the association warned that “by refusing to explicitly accelerate the revision of the RFNBO delegated act—which keeps renewable hydrogen unnecessarily expensive—the European Commission risks jeopardising the sector’s growth, with significant consequences.”
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