Framework for State Aid measures to support the Clean Industrial Deal

Key points

The EESC:

• Welcomes the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) as a key instrument to support the decarbonisation of European industry and preserve strategic investments within the EU, stressing the need for smooth integration with existing tools to ensure coherence, avoid overlap, and provide clear guidance to stakeholders.
• Warns against fragmentation in the single market due to disparities in national State aid capacities, and encourages mechanisms that reward cross-border coordination and projects with positive spill-over effects, echoing recommendations from the Letta and Draghi reports.
• Calls for the rapid implementation of the Clean Industrial Deal’s financing instruments, including a robust Competitiveness Fund and reinforced multiannual financial framework (MFF), while underlining that public support must not divert attention from long-term structural reforms of electricity markets and grid infrastructure.
• Supports the CISAF’s aim to balance technological neutrality with decarbonisation goals, but urges the Commission to maintain dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that aid thresholds and metrics are realistic and reflect sectoral and regional specificities.
• Welcomes the introduction of social and European preference clauses under the CISAF, provided they are proportionate, aligned with just transition goals, and do not impose excessive administrative burdens that could discourage participation or deepen inequalities between Member States.