Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| CALL FOR EVIDENCE  FOR AN INITIATIVE (without an impact assessment) | |
| Title of the initiative | EU research and energy policy – revamping the Strategic Energy Technology Plan |
| Lead DG – responsible unit | DG RTD, Unit C.1 Clean Energy Transition  Co-leading EC services: DG ENER.B5 and DG JRC.C7 |
| Likely Type of initiative | European Commission Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions |
| Indicative Timing | Q1 2023 |
| Additional Information | https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/research-and-technology/strategic-energy-technology-plan\_en   https://setis.ec.europa.eu/index\_en |
| This document is provided for information purposes only and its content might change. It does not prejudge the final decision of the Commission on whether this initiative will be pursued or on its final content. All elements of the initiative described by the document, including its timing, are subject to change. | |

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| A. Political context, problem definition and subsidiarity check |
| Political context |
| The EU is facing unprecedented challenges, e.g. recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the unjustified and unprovoked Russian military aggression against Ukraine, climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, and increasing inequality. This new global political reality requires rapid action and precise planning. The Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) is a platform that promotes the development of clean and cost-competitive energy technologies by coordinating national research efforts among EU countries, companies and research institutions. In recent years, the SET Plan has played a central role in i) implementing the research, innovation & competitiveness dimension of the Energy Union, and ii) guiding national research efforts in the national energy and climate plans (NECPs). It aims to i) achieve climate neutrality without harming the environment, ii) accelerate the transition to a clean and affordable energy system, iii) reduce EU fossil fuel imports, and iv) boost EU strategic autonomy. In a rapidly changing policy context, the SET Plan must align EU, national and industrial research & innovation (R&I) objectives with the European Green Deal, the Fit for 55 Plan, the REPowerEU Plan, and the new European Research Area (ERA) agenda. The revamped SET Plan will connect the activities of its member countries with the Commission more efficiently, speeding up the development and deployment of clean energy technology [1](#footnote3)  while addressing cross-cutting environmental and social sustainability issues. |
| Issues the initiative aims to tackle |
| After 15 years of operation, with its most recent update taking place in 2015, the SET Plan must be revised to make it fit for the new political context. The future SET Plan needs to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal and REPowerEU through stronger synergies between national, industrial and European energy R&I measures to achieve ambitious but necessary EU targets for deploying smart clean energy solutions.  Therefore, the renewed SET Plan aims to address the following pressing needs:  1) increasing the performance and cost efficiency of smart clean energy technologies as well as the efficiency and resilience of clean energy value chains, including those at industrial manufacturing level;  2) accelerating the development and the deployment of smart clean energy technologies;  3) developing an overall strategy to exploit synergies between R&I strategies and the innovation landscape at national, European and international level, and specific synergies between the various instruments providing financial support for R&I at national and EU level;  4) contributing to the long-term energy transition modelling to ensure a positive impact on the different sectors of the economy;  5) paying more attention to cross-cutting issues in the SET Plan, e.g. environmental needs (biodiversity, zero pollution, circularity, and resource efficiency) and social needs (health, safety, security, availability and affordability of energy, public engagement);  6) dealing with challenges to the energy transition which have emerged since the SET Plan was rolled out, e.g. i) the urgent need for energy security and to replace fossil fuels from Russia, ii) the availability of critical materials, iii) digitalisation, iv) reducing EU technology dependence and increasing its resilience, and v) assessing impacts through integrating life cycle assessment into R&I;  7) taking into account the increasing role of enabling technologies, e.g. energy storage, smart grids and clean hydrogen, as well as conciliating their use within the blue economy and the environment;  8) contributing to ERA objectives, especially to help an innovative and risk-taking industry to shape a resilient, green and digital future;  9) enhancing the way the research, innovation and competitiveness chapters are updated and monitored in the NECPs. |
| Basis for EU action (legal basis and subsidiarity check) |
| The legal basis for this initiative is Article 194(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. This initiative is taking place within the area of energy, which is a shared competence between the EU and Member States. When identifying ways to support the European Green Deal and the overall EU environmental goals, specifically decarbonisation, the Communication on the renewed SET Plan will take into account the principle of subsidiarity (whereby the EU only takes action if it is more effective than action taken nationally, regionally or locally). In general, this EU action is efficient and effective in dealing with the transition of the energy system in a coordinated way, ensuring i) greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, ii) the environment is not harmed, iii) the benefits of the internal energy market are reaped, and iv) everyone has open and fair access to clean, secure and affordable energy. |
| B. What does the initiative aim to achieve and how |
| The governments of SET Plan countries will be better positioned to develop and adopt regulatory frameworks and measures to support the clean energy transition. |
| Likely impacts |
| Policies:  1) The objectives of the European Green Deal and REPowerEU will be achieved quicker as alignment with various national and international R&I frameworks leads to better exploitation of system-level synergies and more deployment of clean energy technology.  2) Aligning more closely with the ERA framework will draw on existing EU-wide structures, enriching synergies and providing scientific evidence for enabling policies (e.g. education and skills).  3) A comprehensive approach will integrate challenges of circularity and resources.  4) The revamped SET Plan will support a just transition across the EU at all levels of decision-making and investments.  5) The SET Plan will become a key tool in improving how the NECPs are updated and monitored.  6) The SET Plan will take better account of environmental impacts in a future energy system as well as the impacts clean energy technologies have on such a system.    People:  1) The SET Plan will take better account of people’s needs in a future energy system (e.g. through a dedicated work stream to enable societal and social acceptance).  2) Increased visibility will attract more interest and public engagement.  3) Pooling of resources will increase access to clean and affordable energy technologies.  4) The principle of promoting the affordability of clean energy will be embedded in all joint actions.  R&I:  1) The ERA will offer a platform for joint alliances between researchers across the EU.  2) Cooperation on the SET plan between R&I, policymakers and industry will help design actions to develop necessary skills (e.g. education, training, retraining and upskilling).  3) The ERA framework will provide R&I and technology (e.g. technology infrastructure), accelerating access for clean technologies to the market.  EU industry:  1) Improving the relationship with industry within the European technology and innovation platforms (ETIPs) and implementation working groups (IWGs) will accelerate clean technologies and increase competitiveness.  2) The revamped SET Plan will help integrate the different stages of clean energy value chains (e.g. manufacturing capabilities).  3) New structural links with e.g. Pact for Skills will ensure that technology readiness is matched with skills readiness.  Governments & institutions:  1) Exchange of scientific evidence and best practice, and integrating industry needs, will support regulatory and standardisation processes.  2) Cooperation and synergies at EU level (e.g. Horizon Europe ‘Clean Energy Transition Partnership’ (CETP)) enable the subsidiarity principle to be better applied. |
| Future monitoring |
| The annual SET Plan monitoring report carried out at technology working group level by the Strategic Energy Technology Information System (SETIS) will be simplified by:  1) increased convergence with the monitoring of the state of the Energy Union;  2) increased visibility, with regular presentations to EU institutions, Member States and Associated Countries. |
| C. Better regulation |
| Impact assessment |
| This initiative does not require an impact assessment, as it is not a legislative proposal. |
| Consultation strategy |
| This initiative is not a legislative proposal and does not require a public consultation. However, the Commission will gather input from the SET Plan community at large. Regular meetings will take place between the SET Plan Steering Group and the Secretariat (EC), and with the Bureau, the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and the IWGs, to discuss various aspects of the new Communication. An external contractor will carry out interviews and surveys with the SET Plan community. The main stakeholders identified as part of the SET Plan community include members of the SET Plan structure (Bureau, Steering Group, IWGs, EERA) including EU and associated country representatives, industry associations (through the ETIPs), private companies, NGOs, research institutes, academia and others. |

:   [(1)](#footnoteref3)
     As defined in COM(2019) 640 final ‘The European Green Deal’.

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