The Council held an exchange of views on key objectives for establishing the principles for a new ambitious industrial policy with a continuing focus on sustainable growth and employment. At the end of the debate, the Council adopted conclusions on the subject.
In its conclusions, the Council stresses, among other things, that the successful transition to a competitive and eco-efficient economy and the implementation of a sustainable industrial policy should improve competitiveness and turn environmental challenges into business opportunities and high-quality jobs, and that, in this context, emphasis ought to be given to resource and energy efficiency, in particular by the development, deployment and support for a wide take-up of safe and sustainable low greenhouse-gas-emitting technologies, especially renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The Council also stresses for more and more efficient R&D investment in and the commercialisation and adoption of low-carbon and clean technologies which are safe and sustainable, as well as the need to keep implementing and strengthening a sustainable energy and resource-efficient product policy through eco-design and taking into account the principles of smart regulation, including a life-cycle approach.