Industrial alliances

Industrial alliances can play a role in achieving key EU policy objectives through joint action by all the interested partners. They can make European economies more resilient, ensure the global competitiveness of our industry (including SMEs), support successful transition to a carbon-neutral continent by 2050 and make Europe fit for the digital age. This is why industrial alliances can be used as one of the delivery vehicles for relevant European strategies, e.g. on hydrogen, raw materials or plastics.

Industrial alliances bring together a wide range of partners in a given industry or value chain, including public and private actors and civil society. Industrial alliances have the following characteristics

• they are built around a common goal to implement EU policy objectives
• they involve all relevant partners (EU countries, regions, industry, financial institutions, private investors, innovation actors, academia, research institutes, civil society, trade unions, and others) along the  value chain
• they are based on the principles of openness, transparency, diversity and inclusiveness and comply with competition rules
• are not involved in decision making on policy, regulation or financing
• there is no direct funding for alliances and they do not prejudge potential Important Projects of Common European Interest (which are designed by EU counties and need a separate approval by the Commission)

Alliances have already delivered benefit in the area of batteries and circular plastics. Building on this success, the Commission launched in 2020 the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance and the European Raw Materials Alliance.