The European Commission's proposed Industrial Accelerator Act can become a turning point for Europe's competitiveness, but only if it delivers practical solutions for industry, public authorities and regions, EPP members stressed during the debate in the European Committee of the Regions' ECON commission. The proposal seeks to strengthen European manufacturing, accelerate industrial permitting and promote "Made in Europe" production in strategic sectors.
Annika Fohn (DE/EPP), Member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia, welcomed the initiative while calling for greater legal certainty and a more practical approach to implementation. "North Rhine-Westphalia is synonymous with a strong industry. We want this to remain the case in the future. That is why I welcome the Industrial Accelerator Act. However, there are still some points that require clarification. In order to actually achieve an acceleration effect in practice, the tried-and-tested approval procedures for industrial projects in the Member States and the new European requirements must be well coordinated. Public procurement authorities should be able to make their contributions to European industry without incurring significant additional costs or facing excessive risks from review procedures; and, finally, the 'Made in the EU' requirements should also apply to low-carbon steel." She stressed that Europe's industrial transformation must reduce bureaucracy rather than create additional burdens, while ensuring public procurement rules genuinely strengthen European industry.
Jesús Ángel Garrido Martínez (ES/EPP), Regional Minister of Finance, Governance and Public Administration of La Rioja, highlighted that a stronger "Made in Europe" policy should reinforce quality jobs, strategic autonomy and resilient regional economies. "La Rioja supports the 'Made in Europe' from an industrial perspective: more quality jobs, stronger SMEs, greater strategic autonomy, and reduced external dependence—accompanied by a green transition that is demanding yet flexible for our companies, and competition rules that protect what we manufacture against third countries." He underlined that Europe's industrial policy must strengthen SMEs, safeguard European production against unfair competition and deliver a green transition that remains realistic for businesses.
Manuela Khom (AT/EPP), Deputy Governor of Styria, Provincial Government of Styria, welcomed the Commission's efforts to strengthen competitiveness and reduce bureaucracy, while stressing that industrial policy must preserve value creation in Europe's regions. She emphasised that the automotive and supplier industry, which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across Europe, needs a genuinely European industrial strategy that keeps production and supply chains within Europe. She also called for a technology-neutral transition to climate-neutral mobility, recognising the role of electric mobility alongside hydrogen, renewable fuels, advanced battery technologies and low-carbon materials such as green steel, while warning against additional administrative burdens that could undermine the competitiveness of SMEs.
Adam Rydstedt (SE/EPP), Member of the Municipal Council of Hudiksvall Municipality, stressed that Europe's industrial transition must respect the principle of subsidiarity, recognising that industrial conditions differ across regions. He argued that decisions on establishing industrial acceleration areas should be taken by Member States together with local and regional authorities, which are best placed to understand their territories. Properly designed, these areas can help reconcile industrial development with environmental protection, land-use planning and faster permitting, while enabling regions and municipalities to lead Europe's industrial transformation.
Ruth Merino Peña (ES/EPP), Regional Vice-minister for the Representation to the European Union and the Spanish Autonomous Regions, Government of the Region of Valencia, stated that "the Region of Valencia shares the objective of 'Made in Europe', but we must pursue it in a balanced and strategic way. This is not about building barriers or resorting to protectionism that ultimately makes our industry more expensive and less competitive, nor about creating additional bureaucratic burdens." In this regard, she added that "true strategic autonomy means ensuring that an increasing share of the value chain is located in Europe, creating opportunities for our businesses and our citizens."
The Industrial Accelerator Act aims to boost European manufacturing capacity, introduce "Made in Europe" and low-carbon criteria in strategic public procurement, simplify permitting procedures and strengthen Europe's industrial resilience. EPP-CoR members agreed that the success of the initiative will ultimately depend on reducing unnecessary bureaucracy, supporting strategic European industries, safeguarding regional value chains and fully involving local and regional authorities in delivering Europe's industrial transformation, where investment, production and jobs are created.