Von der Leyen outlines Green Deal Industrial Plan at WEF

Main Message

Von der Leyen unveiled a Green Deal Industrial Plan built on four pillars — regulatory speed and access, financing, skills and trade — and announced a new Net‑Zero Industry Act paired with a Critical Raw Materials Act. She also confirmed EU support to Ukraine, saying the Commission is delivering a EUR 3 billion first tranche of an EUR 18 billion package for 2023.

Why It Matters

The plan aims to scale up clean‑tech manufacturing to secure supply chains, reduce strategic dependencies and strengthen competitiveness as other economies roll out large clean‑tech incentives. Von der Leyen highlighted specific vulnerabilities, noting 98% dependence on one country for rare earths and highly concentrated lithium production, and warned the EU will use tools such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation to address distortions.

What Follows

Next steps include proposing the Net‑Zero Industry Act and Critical Raw Materials Act, temporarily adapting state aid rules, preparing a European Sovereignty Fund in the mid‑term budget review, completing a needs assessment and pursuing trade agreements and enforcement where needed.