Publications

Europe has incrementally expanded its cleantech finance toolbox by adding new tasks to existing funds and new instruments alongside them.

This paper examines how the Commission should use that freedom to design better grants for breakthrough cleantech projects. 

Rarely does Europe get the chance to take a step back and reimagine its cleantech financing toolbox.

In the recent State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen reiterated the need to stay on course towards Europe’s climate targets. In the coming months, the negotiations on EU’s Emission Trading System and the new framework for resilience and risk assessment will reveal the political and industrial forces at play, and if Member […]

The Innovation Fund is Europe's flagship programme for bringing breakthrough cleantech to market, but a growing share of its grant portfolio is stuck before financial close.

Returning from a summer marked by soaring temperatures, wildfires and drought, the EU is entering a season of decisive negotiations

he Clean Industrial Transition Monitor by the European Climate Neutrality Observatory (ECNO) assesses real-world progress using more than 50 indicators and provides a comprehensive and nuanced picture of both progress and remaining gaps. 

ECNO's analysis is structured around 13 building blocks of the transition, tracking six-year trends across nearly 146 indicators, as well as the expected impact of climate-related public policies.

On the cusp of the Age of Electricity, Europe is on a mission to both strengthen industrial competitiveness and accelerate decarbonisation. The European Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal serves as the blueprint to deliver this ambition.

The Industrial Accelerator Act: a stepping stone or paradigm shift? A reading of the European Commission’s propos

Energy prices, cost of low-carbon equipment, and public aid: how will the evolution of these factors in 2026 impact the ability of middle-income households to invest in the transition?

Subsidising projects is no longer enough. Without secured demand and a coordinated targeted European framework, the French and European green industries risk skidding to a halt on the road to scale.

What industrial policy should we pursue to support domestic cleantech, to secure our energy and industrial sovereignty?

The European Competitiveness Fund is the EU's best shot at financing its green industrial policy – if it is designed and targeted correctly.

The transition to a clean economy is not only a project of laws and targets : it needs to be built. France is leading the way in Europe, with France 2030 as the blueprint.

Faced with this reality, France and the European Union face a fundamental choice: adapt or fall behind. Building a decarbonised, “Made in Europe” industrial base is not one policy option among many

Since 2005, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been a cornerstone of Europe’s climate policy. With the price per tonne of CO2 now beginning to stabilise at between €60 and €80, and the gradual reduction in free allowances, 2026’s review of the system should be an opportunity to reflect on and upgrade its performance as the EU continues towards climate neutrality.  

One year ago, Mario Draghi warned that Europe was becalmed in treacherous waters. Fading competitiveness, trade disputes to east and west, and a growing political mutiny against the green transition make the way forward hard to navigate. This year, however, the EU has begun to find its bearings – guided by the Competitiveness Compass, with decarbonisation as the north star of the Clean Industrial Deal.

Europe is levelling up its industrial policy. From the Clean Industrial Deal to proposals for a more flexible EU budget, the Commission signals new ambition to build scale in strategic cleantech sectors and strengthen Europe’s decarbonising industrial base. Yet this firepower risks losing impact if spread too thinly. Limited resources demand sharper focus. As the Draghi Report made clear, Europe must act strategically: understand its industrial strengths and vulnerabilities, prioritise the sectors that matter most, and align funds, regulation, and institutional capacity accordingly. 

Europe is making progress on the clean transition, but the pace is too slow across several parametres. ECNO’s analysis is structured around 13 building blocks of the transition, tracking changes in the six-year trend for nearly 150 indicators and also the expected impact of policies – a new addition to this year’s report. In the 2025 edition, we also analysed the changes through the lens of broader EU objectives, namely competitiveness, resilience, and citizens’ well-being.