At the presentation of her political guidelines before the European Parliament in July, Ursula von der Leyen outlined the main objectives for the first 100 days of her new five-year mandate. Among these, she notably announced a “Clean Industrial Deal,” fitting within the EU Commission’s “new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness,” primarily aimed at supporting the Union’s decarbonisation while bringing down energy prices—a priority also underscored by Mario Draghi in his recent report on the Future of EU Competitiveness.

In President von der Leyen's view, the Clean Industrial Deal needs to foster competitive industries and quality jobs by simplifying procedures, channelling investments into energy-intensive sectors and clean technologies, and ensuring access to affordable energy supplies and raw materials. Moreover, the package should seek to promote joint procurement and better integration of the Energy Union while positioning the EU at the forefront of global climate diplomacy and trade.

Following this announcement in the political guidelines, additional information is now gradually emerging on the specifics of the initiative. Within the College of Commissioners, the responsibilities pertaining to the Clean Industrial Deal would primarily fall to Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner-designate for Climate, Net Zero, and Clean Growth, and his superior, Executive Vice-President-designate for a Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition Teresa Ribera, as well as Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President-designate for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, if confirmed in their roles following their hearings before the European Parliament. Dan Jørgensen, the Commissioner-designate for Energy and Housing, should also play a role, notably in aspects connected to the strengthening of the Energy Union. In President von der Leyen's perspective, the distribution of work across several commissioners reflects the importance assigned to the clean energy transition at the start of the new mandate; however, many observers have pointed to this organisation, characterised by scattered responsibilities, as a means for her to exert greater overall control over the European Union’s executive.

Delving into the specifics of the Clean Industrial Deal, further insights are provided in Séjourné’s Mission Letter designating him to the role, which notably tasks him with building a “growth-conducive” regulatory framework to support industry and innovation. In parallel, the enforcement of previous Green Deal legislation, such as the Net-Zero Industry Act, is also emphasised. Concretely, regulations to make greener products mandatory, reform public procurement rules, and refine international collaboration could also be expected within the scope of the Clean Industrial Deal, according to a recent statement from Kerstin Jorna, the Director-General of DG GROW.

However, difficult discussions with member states regarding the funding of the Clean Industrial Deal are looming. Speaking at an event organised by the think tank Bruegel, Kurt Vandenberghe, the Director-General of DG CLIMA, echoed the recommendations contained in Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness by highlighting the need to leverage common European funds, as opposed to national investments, for the industrial strategy to be successful. Still building on such recommendations, President von der Leyen called in Séjourné’s Mission Letter for the establishment of a new Competitiveness Coordination Tool as a direct follow-up to the report: a position that has proven rather unpopular among EU nations and is likely to face further opposition from them going forward.