News
8 December 2020
BSP & POLITICO event: Competition policy: Burden or support to the EU Green Deal?
In 2021, the European Commission intends to revise the EU competition rules in order to adapt it to the #greendeal goals. The task will require securing the fair transition and preserving the level-playing field intra- and extra-EU.
Does the EU need to align competition policy tools with the Green Deal? One year after the launch of its landmark initiative, the European Commission recently announced it was considering adapting competition enforcement to better support the objective of the Green Deal. This echoes the Dutch and Greek competition watchdogs’ initiatives to adjust competition rules to help companies embrace Europe’s climate neutrality objectives by 2050.
Key questions to be addressed include:
- How far can competition policy encourage greening the economy?
- Should competition rules change to foster the EU Green Deal, or should regulation push for it?
- What is the role of public funding and of state aid rules in the green transition?
- How can the Commission ensure state aid rules do not hinder the EU Green Deal’s agenda? How will they play out with other initiatives such as the taxonomy rules?
- Can the Commission use its state aid powers to prevent Europe’s recovery cash from supporting carbon-emitting industries?
- Will the revision of the rules help the EU be more competitive? Are the current competition tools enough to ensure a level playing field between the EU and third countries?
As the European Commission’s consultation on state aid rules regarding environmental protection and energy is about to start in the coming weeks, POLITICO convene a high-level discussion on the future of the EU competitions rules – state aid, mergers and acquisitions and antitrust, – and how they could adapt to the EU Green Deal while improving Europe’s competitiveness.