Associations and clusters stress that green hydrogen improves the EU's global situation

Nine national hydrogen associations and clusters from across the EU have called on EU Member States and the new European Commission to consider the importance of the emergence of a green hydrogen economy within the EU.

As Europe faces several significant challenges to its security at the same time, the national hydrogen associations from Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden remind that building a green hydrogen union and enabling RES trade through hydrogen strengthens the resilience, independence and competitiveness of the EU and its Member States, as well as their geostrategic position and ability to effectively combat climate change.

The European Commission has set ambitious targets for hydrogen under the RePowerEU programme and highlighted its role in the transition to a sustainable and resilient energy supply. The EU target is 10 million tonnes of domestic renewable hydrogen production and 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen imports by 2030. In order to reach these targets in the next EU period, the Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission must therefore take action over the next five years to achieve this goal, in line with the geostrategic importance of the green hydrogen market. The strategic programme for the next five years must be consistent with these objectives.

Associations and clusters therefore stress that green hydrogen improves the EU's global situation by:

• guaranteeing a secure, renewable and affordable energy supply;
• strengthening the European idea of a common energy market while trading hydrogen across the continent;
• developing the European economy as a leading supplier of hydrogen technology and creating up to 5 million skilled jobs;
• combating climate change by scaling up hydrogen technology and replacing fossil fuels with it.

The associations and clusters will now convey the common position to their national representatives and administrations, as well as to the newly elected European Commission, and will remain in contact for the next stage of hydrogen technology development in the EU.