On 11 June a coalition of organisations including industry associations, investors, trade unions and environmental organisations addresses a joint letter to EU leaders ahead of the upcoming European Council meeting on 18-19 June to come up with a strong unified long-term strategy for energy independence and reinforcing Europe’s industrial manufacturing base.
As Europe is facing yet another energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Europe’s vulnerability to external energy shocks is exposed once again.
Against the backdrop of geopolitical instability and a deepening industrial crisis industriAll Europe’s Executive Committee in May 2026 called for coordinated EU level measures to stabilise energy prices and accelerating investments in clean energy infrastructure, grids and storage capacities to prevent a new wave of deindustrialisation. One of the central calls to leaders was to end crisis driven profiteering through windfall profits taxation, binding measures to prevent price gauging in energy markets and redirecting the revenues gained from such measures in public investments in the energy transition and social protection.
In that context, industriAll Europe welcomed this joint coalition’s call for decisive action of European institutions and Member States to:
- Launch a European electrification and industrial modernisation effort that reinforces Europe’s industrial base, protects and promotes quality jobs while supporting workers and regions through a fair, affordable and inclusive transformation.
- Provide long-term regulatory certainty for Europe’s clean energy transformation through a clear and ambitious policy framework, supported by coordinated planning and long-term national strategies.
- Establish a European framework for fossil fuel independence and economic security building on the success of REPowerEU and the phased prohibition of Russian energy imports.
- Mobilise public and private investment at unprecedented scale through a European financing strategy with social conditionalities to ensure the strategy creates quality jobs and delivers value across Europe.
“Europe cannot respond to the industrial and energy crisis by retreating — we must invest our way forward. Workers are calling for a European energy strategy that guarantees affordable, stable and clean energy for both industry and households. Investing in home-grown clean energy and infrastructure is not only about climate action; it is about security, resilience, prosperity and creating quality jobs across Europe. Public money must come with public value: every subsidy, state aid measure and investment must include strong social conditionalities and local content requirements to ensure that taxpayers’ money delivers decent jobs, fair wages, industrial capacity and a just transition for workers and communities” said Judith Kirton-Darling, General Secretary of industriAll Europe.