EERA Senior Policy Officer underscores the importance of R&I in ensuring prosperous decarbonisation throughout Europe
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In an article for Science|Business, EERA Senior Policy Officer Rosita Zilli spoke on the challenges associated with garnering public support and societal endorsement for the European Green Deal, along with underlining the importance of R&I in the context of the Net Zero Industry Act (NZIA), when it comes to developing crucial and innovative technologies.
Throughout the article, Rosita Zilli acknowledged the “resilience and strengthening of the Green Deal amid both sanitary and geopolitical crises,” however, she contended that the necessary societal shift has proved more challenging to achieve. Moreover, she used the recent example of national election results to underscore the lingering gap between ‘‘ambitious goals and public support,’’ in which increasingly, EU countries are “leaning towards conservative stances and supporting a watered down and less ambitious green agenda”.
Such an outlook echoes recent concerns voiced by Director-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) Marc Lemaître, who has highlighted that, while Europe is a frontrunner when it comes to cutting CO2 emissions, limited industrial strategy has meant the full potential of economic benefits has not been reached. As such, the decarbonisation of society is increasingly seen as a cost and inconvenience.
For Lemaître, a more concrete vision on how Europe will act as a leader on climate and the circular economy while sustaining a thriving and competitive economy is crucial. In this context, the need for strengthened effort in research and innovation is acknowledged, particularly regarding the significant gaps in technological solutions for reducing emissions beyond 2030.
Building on this, in relation to the NZIA, Zilli highlighted the need to prioritise R&I actions at both early and late stages of technological development. She emphasised that this is vital for both the development of innovative technologies and for “addressing supply chain challenges that might hamper an accelerated deployment of these technologies.”
