EU Clean Industrial Deal Sets Right Direction, Yet Pending Details Will be Critical

A statement by World Resources Institute's Stientje van Veldhoven evaluating the European Commission's Clean Industrial Deal, noting its correct priorities in decarbonization and financing while criticizing gaps in resource efficiency, CBAM stability, and concrete resource targets.

• The European Commission's Clean Industrial Deal aims to decarbonize energy-intensive industries and boost the clean-tech sector to support a proposed net 90% GHG emissions reduction by 2040. The package includes the mobilization of 100 billion Euros for clean manufacturing and emphasizes using public and private procurement with sustainability criteria to drive low-carbon industry.
• World Resources Institute identifies several shortcomings in the Clean Industrial Deal, specifically concerning the potential simplification or delay of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a lack of focus on energy savings and resource efficiency, and the absence of concrete targets for resource use despite a goal for circular economy leadership by 2030.
• The statement calls for the EU to release a new Climate Plan or NDC before the summer of 2025, which should establish an emissions reduction target of 70-75% for 2035 and a path to climate neutrality by 2050.

APA

van Veldhoven, S. (2025). EU Clean Industrial Deal Sets Right Direction, Yet Pending Details Will be Critical. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-eu-clean-industrial-deal-sets-right-direction-yet-pending-details-will-be-critical

Chicago

van Veldhoven, Stientje. EU Clean Industrial Deal Sets Right Direction, Yet Pending Details Will be Critical. World Resources Institute, 2025. https://www.wri.org/news/statement-eu-clean-industrial-deal-sets-right-direction-yet-pending-details-will-be-critical.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=van Veldhoven |first1=Stientje |title=EU Clean Industrial Deal Sets Right Direction, Yet Pending Details Will be Critical |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=26 February 2025 |url=https://www.wri.org/news/statement-eu-clean-industrial-deal-sets-right-direction-yet-pending-details-will-be-critical |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{vanveldhoven2025clean, author = {van Veldhoven, Stientje}, title = {{EU Clean Industrial Deal Sets Right Direction, Yet Pending Details Will be Critical}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.wri.org/news/statement-eu-clean-industrial-deal-sets-right-direction-yet-pending-details-will-be-critical}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }