IRU’s new position paper on the European Commission’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) calls for practical adjustments to ensure the framework strengthens industrial competitiveness and decarbonisation without undermining the road transport sector.Presented by the European Commission earlier this year, the IAA is designed to strengthen the EU’s industrial base and reduce strategic dependencies by accelerating investment in clean technologies and manufacturing capacity in key sectors.
The proposed legislation would make it easier for strategic industrial projects to develop in the EU through targeted financial support, dedicated industrial acceleration areas and new rules encouraging the purchase of products with stronger EU value chains.
While the proposal has a broad industrial scope, it would also affect commercial road transport through public procurement and public support measures requiring electric vehicles to meet “Union origin” (“Made in Europe”) criteria, subject to limited derogations.
IRU supports the objective of strengthening Europe’s industrial base and accelerating decarbonisation. However, the current form of the proposal risks increasing costs, administrative burden and investment uncertainty for operators while limiting access to electric vehicles and the global supply chains needed for an efficient and timely transition. (....)