Manifesto Second Pillar
An Investment Plan
to Implement the Green Deal
The 2023 Net Zero Industrial Act and the Critical Raw Materials Act needs an accompanying European Net-Zero Infrastructure Investment Plan. A long-term, easy-to-access investment facility – aimed at sectors key to Net Zero – should be a core issue during the European elections.
Freight and logistics infrastructure are a vital component in the movement of goods within Europe. There should be comprehensive investment in developing and deploying sustainable logistics infrastructure. The key elements for decarbonising freight in Europe while remaining competitive are the roll-out of high-power charging infrastructure required for deploying electric trucks of all ranges, the completion of a high quality, interoperable rail network with very high-speed connections, while ensuring a level playing field with other non-emitting modes of transport of goods.
Europe must also improve support for urban transport. Cities are working to accelerate the modal shift and to increase the electrification of their vehicle fleets. To avoid cities becoming the weakest links Europe should be providing parallel support to investments in zero-emission public transport networks and to the deployment of smart and efficient charging infrastructure within urban areas. To support the required local infrastructure investments, the next Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) transport programme should include a dedicated budget for urban nodes, building upon the experience of the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility. Further support from EU research and innovation programmes as well as guidance, will also be needed to overcome challenges such as the constraint of public space, uneven distribution of private investments in EV charging infrastructure in cities or their integration in multimodal hubs, as well as lack of grid capacity.
Net Zero Sectors include the sustainable mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals and metals, modernising power grids and facilities for industrial material recovery as well as renewable energy production. Although existing European funds could contribute significantly, prioritising access to the current EU funding mechanisms and tailoring them to the specific needs of the sustainable transports value chain participants is essential.
