I4CE produit des expertises innovantes afin d’informer les débats sur les politiques publiques pour la transition climatique. Mais nous ne faisons pas qu’écrire des rapports, nous voulons avoir de l’impact. Nous allons au contact des décideurs, des médias, des parties prenantes pour apprendre d’eux et faire que ces politiques progressent, concrètement. Nous vous invitons, en parcourant notre rapport d’activité, à découvrir les débats qui intéressent I4CE, les changements majeurs de politique publique des douze derniers mois et comment nous y avons contribués.

Psychologists sometimes talk about the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. One year on from the announcement of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the European response has looked startlingly similar. Public anger in Brussels at perceived American protectionism. Private sector depression at the prospect of Europe falling behind in the global cleantech race. Denial of the gap between the EU and US efforts, by arguing that that all EU and national spending on cleantech amounts to a conservative estimate of what the IRA offers (while not factoring in the full range of US support). 

The European Union (EU) Innovation Fund is Europe’s largest fund for climate innovation. It has a keyrole to play in European climate action, energy security and technological leadership. To unleash the full potential of European cleantech, greater public support is needed to help more companies and projects cross the so-called “valleys of death” that are inherent to cleantech innovation and scale-up. In this endeavour, relying solely on national public funds would create two risks. In countries where governments do not rise to the financing challenge, innovators will fail or flee. Conversely, governments with the fiscal means to spend big on cleantech may create a harmful subsidy race among EU member states, undermining EU solidarity and the integrity of the EU Single Market.