6.4.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 152/47
3.10.
The EESC believes that efforts should be made to coordinate the support given through the RRF to transform the REIIs with existing public-private funding programmes such as SPIRE or the Clean Steel Partnership.
Industry Alliances should be used as platforms to foster long-term synergies between projects funded through the RRF and existing EU programmes, to catalyse the transformation of the REIIs.
3.11.
The need to accompany the financial support provided through the RRF with an ambitious tax reform has been identified.
This should be aligned with the OECD agreement to ensure that highly profitable corporations will be subject to an effective corporate tax rate of 15 % as of 2023.
3.12.
The main goal of the disbursement of grants to companies should be to keep the international competitiveness of EU industry while complying with the EU’s social, economic and environmental standards, to ensure the twin transition will benefit European citizens.
3.13.
As stated above, the EU Recovery Plan will be key for the transformation of the REIIs, while contributing to the metamorphosis of other economic sectors with regard to the twin transition.
This broad conversion will require long-term adaptation and transition periods, especially in all matters related to human capital.
The EESC strongly suggests that investment mechanisms be extended beyond 2026 and that tough and clear interlinks between each be well defined.
4.
Specific comments The EESC invites the Member States and industry to put forward investments and reforms with the biggest transformational impact, in terms of achieving the final goals set, in the main flagship areas defined by the Commission.
It cannot be ignored, that the costs involved in achieving the goals associated with this twin transition must be affordable for society as a whole.
4.1.
POWER UP — clean technologies and renewables 4.1.1.
The industrial transition will not be achieved if the energy transition is not implemented.
Industry decarbonisation will rely directly on the availability of sufficient, affordable low-carbon energy sources that make low-carbon industrial production possible.
Securing sufficient generation of decarbonised energy in a reliable way will be crucial to reaching the climate and digital targets.
Similarly, massive investment is needed to develop or create the infrastructure required to transport, store and distribute these unprecedented volumes of low-carbon energy.
The implementation of the National Recovery Plans, and notably the proposed reforms, should focus on ensuring competitive, stable and predictable energy prices, limiting the impact high-energy prices will have on inflation, which may jeopardise the recovery of REIIs and society in general.
4.1.2.
The EESC agrees that technological neutrality is a must while implementing the National Recovery Plans: all low-carbon technologies (renewable energy, green hydrogen, fusion reactor, etc...) must be included in this transition provided that they are in line with the 2030 and 2050 climate objectives as well as with the UN SDGs.
No technologies should be pre-emptively or arbitrarily excluded.
The resource allocation criteria should focus on ensuring competitive energy prices for end consumers regardless of the technology itself.
4.1.3.
For that, it may be necessary to consider not only combining different competitive renewable energy sources, but also combining them with Carbon Capture Storage and Use Technologies, without forgetting the role the energy interconnection between different MS will hold.
Sufficient, homogeneous regulation must be in place to create the business case for investments and enable these technologies to be implemented.
4.1.4.
In addition to the availability of affordable energy and technological solutions, energy efficiency must be properly considered.
All scenarios identified by the EU long-term emissions reduction strategy for achieving the 2050 climate neutrality objectives ascribe an important role to energy savings (1).
Shifting to a more circular economy also has a major role to play in reducing energy and resource consumption by REIIs.
(1)
https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/publication/depth-analysis-support-com2018-773-clean-planet-all-european-strategic-longterm-vision_en.