Between 15 and 30 January 2026, the German clean energy website Clean Energy Wire published a five part expert interview series titled “Preview 2026: Industry Transition, Clean Investments Key as EU Shapes Post 2030 Climate Policy”. Interviewees included three members of the European Parliament, two corporate executives (CEO of Siemens Energy and head of climate strategy at ThyssenKrupp), and three think tank directors.

The central theme: the EU is moving from “setting climate targets” to “implementing industrial policies to achieve those targets”. Experts agreed that three pieces of legislation will be decisive in 2026: the implementing rules of the Net Zero Industry Act, the full expansion of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the final version of the EU Electricity Market Reform. Specifically, from 1 January 2026, CBAM already covers cement, steel, aluminium, fertilisers and electricity; it is scheduled to expand to hydrogen and certain chemicals in 2027.

One MEP revealed that to counter the US Inflation Reduction Act, the EU is discussing the establishment of a “Sovereign Clean Tech Fund” that could reach €100 billion, aimed at supporting European made solar modules, wind turbines and electrolysers. However, industry representatives pointed out that Europe currently faces bottlenecks: permitting processes average 3 4 years, and grid connection waiting lists are too long. The interviews also cited the latest opinion poll: 62% of European citizens support stricter climate policies, provided that energy prices do not rise significantly. Therefore, 2026 is likely to be a turning point when the EU’s climate policy moves from ambition to implementation, with public acceptance and industrial competitiveness as two critical tests.