The Clean Industrial Deal: Opportunity or Missed Opportunity?

Industrial policy in Europe under the microscope: does the Clean Industrial Deal protect our health and the environment or does it succumb to industry?

26.02.2025 | Fundamental right

Clean Industrial Deal presented by Ursula von der Leyen in Antwerp

The European Commission has the Clean Industrial Deal presented as a strategy to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry while accelerating the transition to a climate-neutral economy. This deal should respond to growing competitive pressure from the US and China, while at the same time stimulating a sustainable industrial transformation. But how effective is this deal really when it comes to protecting public health and the environment?

Although the Clean Industrial Deal If an important step is presented, it risks losing its impact due to the influence of the industrial lobby. The deal lacks clear and binding measures to drastically reduce pollution and accelerate the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This begs the question: does this deal offer a real solution to the environmental and health problems plaguing Europe, or is it mainly an economic move to appease industry?

European industry in crisis: why the Clean Industrial Deal exists

The Clean Industrial Deal comes at a critical time. European industry is struggling rising energy costs, declining production capacity and increasing competition with the US and China. With this deal, the European Commission hopes to stimulate investments in energy-intensive sectors and cleantech to stimulate, while developing a long-term strategy for industrial stability.

Antwerp, home to Europe's largest chemical cluster, was not chosen by chance as the location for the launch of this deal. More than 400 CEOs and industry leaders were present to exert their influence and demand guarantees on energy prices and legislative frameworks. Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele joined the discussion, underlining the importance of the chemical industry in this deal.

The lobby and the abolition of stricter environmental obligations

Besides the Clean Industrial Deal the European Commission also proposed the Omnibus for, a package of measures intended to reduce administrative burdens for companies. At first glance, this seems like a step towards more efficient policy, but the reality is that the Omnibus weakens legislation that requires companies to report on their social and environmental impactThis makes it even more difficult to monitor and tackle industrial pollution.

Under pressure from the chemical lobby, reporting requirements are being reduced and stricter regulations on environmental policy and public health are being neglected. This is a direct threat to the protection of residents of industrial areas, such as in Zwijndrecht, where PFAS pollution has been taking an unacceptable toll on public health for decades.

Health and Environment: The Invisible Costs of Chemical Pollution

While the Clean Industrial Deal focuses on economic growth and innovation, the impact of chemical pollution on health and environment largely underexposed. The health risks of exposure to harmful substances such as PFAS, heavy metals and air pollutants are undeniable.

Every year causes Air pollution in the EU costs hundreds of billions of euros in health costsExposure to hormone disrupting substances such as endocrine disruptors costs society an estimated 163 billion euros per year. The impacts of PFAS pollution alone are estimated at 84 billion euros per year, and this is probably an underestimate.

In addition, climate extremes such as heat waves, droughts and floods are increasing. Between 1980 and 2023, the economic costs of climate-related disasters in Europe are estimated to have been 738 billion euros. In the summer of 2023, more than 47,000 people in Europe due to extreme heat.

Yet policymakers remain behind schedule when it comes to the fight against chemical pollution and the consequences of the climate crisisThe Clean Industrial Deal offers few guarantees that industrial polluters will be forced to cut their emissions quickly and drastically.

Why the Clean Industrial Deal is not enough

To be truly effective, the Clean Industrial Deal be more than an industrial growth strategy. It must be a plan that holds industries accountable for their pollution and puts public health at its heart. There are three key principles that must be embedded in this deal:

1. Preventing pollution: Instead of cleaning up pollution afterwards, there should be a strict prevention policy come. The production and discharge of harmful chemicals such as PFAS must be fully phased out.
2. End subsidies and financing of polluting industries: Governments are still subsidizing companies that contribute to air and chemical pollution. This money should instead be invested in clean energy and environmentally friendly production processes.
3. Remediation of existing pollution: Industry must be held accountable for the damage it has caused. PFAS-contaminated areas must be cleaned up at the polluters' expense, and a European fund come to help communities that have been exposed to industrial toxins for years.

Conclusion: a missed opportunity for a healthier future

The Clean Industrial Deal is presented as a roadmap to a sustainable future, but without concrete and enforceable measures it will be more of a protection mechanism for industry than a real breakthrough for the climate and public health.

The impact of chemical pollution, fossil fuels and air pollution on our health and environment is too great to ignore any longer. If Europe really wants to commit to a cleaner and healthier future, it must Clean Industrial Deal become a Zero Pollution DealThis means stop pollution before it occurs, abolish subsidies for polluters and make a radical shift to a fully sustainable and circular industry.

It is up to us, as citizens, to keep putting pressure on policymakers and industry. We cannot afford further delay. The time to act is now.