Today we sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to highlight some institutional and policy adjustments needed over the next five years to ensure that environmental, climate, social, economic and geopolitical considerations are properly reflected in EU’s legislation.

The European hydrogen ecosystem is well placed to contribute to reaching the objectives of the energy transition and those of the Pact for European Competitiveness to ensure sustainable, prosperous, competitive and resilient of European economies. Hydrogen can provide the necessary flexibility to our renewables and help decarbonise energy and industrial sectors that are still reliant on fossil fuels. For that to materialise in time for our 2030 reality check, Europe needs to move from the notional inclusion of hydrogen in the energy mix to an earnest development of the hydrogen economy.

The EU needs a compelling, comprehensive and focussed hydrogen implementation agenda with a budget, a timeline, and a map of institutional and industrial partners. Public investments should help European industrial actors derisk their investments in clean solutions and help them preserve their global competitiveness. We also need to build hydrogen partnerships that bring volumes and security of supply, and positively contribute to the EU’s international development objectives and climate diplomacy.

A bold long-term vision and swift short-term measures are needed to advance on a version of the #EUGreenDeal that simultaneously keeps us globally competitive, secures resilient supply of affordable clean energy, and accelerates climate action.