Industrial Accelerator Act: strengthening Europe’s clean industrial base

The European Commission has proposed the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), a new framework to accelerate industrial investment and decarbonisation in strategic sectors. These include steel, cement, aluminium, automotive, and net-zero technologies, with the possibility of extending the rules to other energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals. The proposal introduces several novelties to support industries’ decarbonisation. It facilitates faster permitting for industrial projects by introducing single access points to streamline permitting procedures and ensuring these do not exceed 18 months. The proposal also brings new demand-side measures such as low-carbon requirements and new "made in EU" requirements in public procurement and other forms of public intervention to support the creation of lead markets in strategic sectors. Finally, the IAA also lays down conditions for large foreign investments, which will apply to investments above €100 million by investors from countries that account for a 40% share of global production. This will help to ensure that major foreign investments create high-quality jobs, drive innovation and generate real value in Europe, while ensuring EU remains open to trade and investment and maintains equal treatment for partners that provide reciprocal market access.