The European Commission officially published the proposal for the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) yesterday, on March 4, 2026.
This act is the first flagship initiative of the Clean Industrial Deal, aimed at enhancing the EU's industrial competitiveness, accelerating the decarbonization process of energy-intensive industries, and reducing reliance on external supplies.
The act currently explicitly covers strategic industries including:
Energy-intensive industries: steel, cement, aluminum, chemicals.
Net-zero technologies: batteries, solar energy, wind energy, heat pumps, electrolyzers, etc.
Automotive industry: particularly the supply chain for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The proposal has now been submitted to the European Parliament and Council for review and approval. If all goes well, legislation may be completed by the end of 2026 or the first half of 2027.
Implementation: Some provisions of the act (such as simplified approval processes) may be implemented immediately upon coming into effect, but aspects like the "Made in EU" quota or specific FDI regulatory requirements typically provide companies and member states a transition period of 6 to 18 months.
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en
This act is the first flagship initiative of the Clean Industrial Deal, aimed at enhancing the EU's industrial competitiveness, accelerating the decarbonization process of energy-intensive industries, and reducing reliance on external supplies.
The act currently explicitly covers strategic industries including:
Energy-intensive industries: steel, cement, aluminum, chemicals.
Net-zero technologies: batteries, solar energy, wind energy, heat pumps, electrolyzers, etc.
Automotive industry: particularly the supply chain for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The proposal has now been submitted to the European Parliament and Council for review and approval. If all goes well, legislation may be completed by the end of 2026 or the first half of 2027.
Implementation: Some provisions of the act (such as simplified approval processes) may be implemented immediately upon coming into effect, but aspects like the "Made in EU" quota or specific FDI regulatory requirements typically provide companies and member states a transition period of 6 to 18 months.
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en