EUREC, along with 13 other organisations, co-signed an open letter to the three Executive Vice-Presidents of the European Commission to advocate for climate- and energy-related innovation and its place at the centre of the EU’s Fit for 55 legislative proposals. As the Fit for 55 proposals are in the review process, the letter stressed the crucial nature of endorsing proposals which further the promises of the European Green Deal and the commitments of the Paris Agreement.

In asserting the necessity of renewable energy innovation, Fit for 55 must undertake specific policy actions; without concrete action, dangerous levels of carbon emissions may be locked in for generations. The call for action further acknowledged that while funding programmes such as Horizon Europe and the Innovation Fund have stimulated an increase in the supply of climate innovation, this supply must be matched by a demand from the EU.

The letter outlined policy recommendations for the EU in the following fields:

· Energy Efficiency and Embodied Carbon

· Renewable Energy

· Mobility, Grid; and Storage

· Gas, Methane, Carbon Capture, Hydrogen, TEN-E and infrastructure

· Land Use and Removals

· Carbon Pricing

· Recovery and Financial Instruments

EUREC specifically contributed to the letter’s policy recommendations regarding renewable energy, including a proposed “innovation subtarget” within an increased target for renewable energy consumption in the EU by 2030 and the sharing of energy data related to companies’ operational installations to identify potential cost-saving measures to participants.