Regulation (EU) 2024/795 establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)

What it is

to establish the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) to support European leadership on critical technologies. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: strengthening the competitiveness of the European economy through the green and digital transformations has been the EU's strategic goal over the last years. Despite its inbuilt resilience, EU industry is being challenged by high inflation, labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, rising interest rates, and spikes in energy costs and input prices. This is paired with strong, and not always fair competition on the fragmented global market. The EU has already put forward several initiatives to support its industry. The EU now needs a more structural answer to the investment needs of its industries. This will support the uptake and scaling up of development and manufacturing of strategic technologies in the EU, in the fields of digital and deep tech, clean tech and biotech. It will help companies seize the opportunities, build resilience and meet the objectives of the green and digital transitions, thereby strengthening European sovereignty. The European Parliament adopted by 385 votes to 85, with 151 abstentions, amendments to the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (‘STEP’) and amending Directive 2003/87/EC, Regulations (EU) 2021/1058, (EU) 2021/1056, (EU) 2021/1057, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) 2021/1060, (EU) 2021/523, (EU) 2021/695, (EU) 2021/697 and (EU) 2021/241. The issue was referred back to the relevant committee for interinstitutional negotiations. The regulation should establish a ‘Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform’ (STEP) to support strategic technologies and their respective supply chains in the sectors concerned, and thus contribute to the implementation of the action programme for the digital decade to 2030. STEP aims to strengthen various EU programmes and funds and to channel up to EUR 160 billion into new investments, alongside cohesion policy incentives and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The platform should foster the growth of crucial technological value chains in the digital economy, net-zero industries, and biotechnologies , as well as addressing labour and skill shortages, and foster deep-tech innovation , which has the potential to deliver transformative solutions, rooted in cutting edge science, technology and engineering, including innovation combining advances in the physical, biological and digital spheres. When implementing programmes and activities to achieve the objectives under this Regulation, the Commission and Member States should put specific emphasis on supporting Net-Zero Industry Valleys projects in territories included in the Territorial just transition plans and in less developed and transition regions, as well as more developed regions in Member States whose average GDP per capita is below the EU…

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