IOGP Europe response to consultation on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act (IDAA) and call for evidence

IOGP Europe welcomes the opportunity to respond to the European Commission’s consultation on the Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act (IDAA) and remains committed to supporting the EU’s decarbonization agenda.

The Clean Industrial Deal (CID) sets a new course for EU climate and energy policies, aiming to equip the EU to meet its climate goals while maintaining a competitive industrial base. This includes reducing regulatory complexity, supporting innovation, and strengthening Europe’s energy and industrial foundations. However, persistent barriers—such as fragmented regulation, limited funding access, and slow deployment of key technologies—continue to hinder progress, particularly in energy- and emissions-intensive sectors. To address these challenges, IDAA should act as a catalyst by enhancing coordination among existing institutions, supporting Member States in implementing best practices, and ensuring streamlined and coherent access to EU and national funding mechanisms.

Permitting is key to industrial transformation and achieving the EU’s decarbonization goals. Timely, clear, and consistent permits are essential for strategic investments, but across the EU, complex and outdated permitting systems often create bottlenecks to sustainable development. In worst-case scenarios, permitting for CCS projects can take up to six years. To meet the goals of the EU Green Deal and the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), permitting must shift from being a complex legislative barrier to a strategic enabler of clean industrial investment: through simplified, predictable, and digitalized procedures, supported by adequate administrative capacity, improved coordination between authorities, and greater harmonization of rules across Member States and beyond.

At the same time, the IDAA should enable the scale-up of Priority Projects that deliver the most efficient and cost-effective reductions in GHG emissions and are crucial for hard-to-abate sectors. These projects are key to the EU’s decarbonization pathway and should include carbon capture and storage (CCS), low-carbon hydrogen, electrification, and low-carbon industrial processes, selected based on their relevance to sectoral and regional needs. Importantly, the IDAA must uphold technology neutrality. A one-size-fits-all approach risks undermining innovation and its deployment. Instead, support should be tailored to allow the most effective solutions to scale.

Finally, the creation of lead markets is a critical first step toward establishing a fully functional and competitive market for low-carbon products in the EU. These markets can unlock scalable and cost-effective decarbonization solutions, such as low-carbon hydrogen and CCS, that are essential for industrial sectors. However, this potential can only be realized if the demand side is activated early, supported by predictable, investment-friendly policy frameworks that reflect market realities.

This document outlines the key challenges identified in each section of the questionnaire and provides IOGP Europe recommendations to address them.

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