{
  "id": 3538277,
  "title": "La France et l’Allemagne se divisent sur le développement de l’industrie propre en Europe",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/la-france-et-lallemagne-se-divisent-sur-le-developpement-de",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-26T15:40:38.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/la-france-et-lallemagne-se-divisent-sur-le-developpement-de-lindustrie-propre-en-europe/"
  },
  "original_language": "fr",
  "account": "Bruxelles — The ambitious goal of the European Union to become a major player in the clean industry sector will be put to the test this autumn as European lawmakers and member states negotiate the final version of the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA). A tense debate has already erupted: the two largest countries in Europe are opposing the degree of protectionism the text should contain. France wants stricter guarantees for Made in Europe, while Germany, with its export-driven economy, fears triggering retaliatory measures from its trading partners, according to three EU diplomats. This landmark piece of industrial policy for the second term of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aims to encourage the adoption of less polluting manufacturing processes by setting low-carbon public procurement quotas and controversial \"Made in Europe\" rules. The ultimate goal is to stimulate demand for less reliance on fossil fuels, which contribute to climate change. First unveiled in March and currently under examination by the European Parliament and the EU Council, this extensive legislative proposal draws from Mario Draghi's report on European competitiveness. European Commissioner for Industry Stéphane Séjourné has described this text as a \"change of doctrine\" aimed at protecting European manufacturers from cheaper and heavily subsidized imports from China and other major industrial economies. Essentially, the IAA aims to boost European industry by accelerating the project authorization process and easing administrative burdens that companies often cite as growth hindrances. The proposal also promotes low-carbon products that meet Union criteria, or Made in Europe. However, this initiative has already highlighted a fundamental split on how far Europe should go to protect its industry. For Stéphane Séjourné and Ursula von der Leyen — who have removed the term \"decarbonation\" from the initial title of the proposal — the aim is to broadly revitalize Europe's manufacturing sector. Their ambition is to increase the share of the manufacturing sector in the European economy to 20% by 2035, up from around 14% today, while strengthening the EU's industrial base and reducing its dependence on foreign competitors. The IAA includes significant incentive measures and aims to create carbon-neutral pilot markets in strategic sectors. According to the Commission's proposal, some public procurement markets should have minimum green product quotas, including 5% for cement and 25% for aluminum. However, steel is not subject to the same rules and is not required to be produced within the EU — a point that Eurofer, the European steel lobby, has welcomed the pilot market creation intent but feels the Commission has not gone far enough. \"The IAA goes in the right direction, but the current proposal is not ambitious enough to create a demand signal for EU-produced carbon-neutral steel,\" the lobby stated in a press release. \"Without strict EU-origin requirements tied to the steel initially melted and poured within the EU, public procurement markets and support schemes risk being satisfied by imported steel, undermining decarbonization investments in Europe.\" EU sources familiar with the Commission's stance on the IAA say European steel quotas were dropped from the proposal to avoid provoking the Trump administration, which sometimes focuses on steel, as well as India, an important steel exporter to the EU. While some signs suggest Eurofer's position is gaining ground, a compromise on steel remains elusive, and the Council remains deeply divided on the overall text, according to three EU diplomats who spoke to POLITICO. This divide pits Europe's two economic giants against each other, with Germany expressing significant reservations about the IAA, while France, the text's chief architect, has emerged as one of its strongest supporters. France views this legislative proposal as an opportunity to strengthen Made in Europe protection measures — something Washington has opposed, even as the U.S. pursues its own protectionist trade policies — and to shield domestic manufacturers from heavily subsidized competitors from China and other countries. Germany, on the other hand, fears that protectionist measures could provoke retaliation against its economy, which heavily depends on exports.",
  "summary": "Par sa proposition d'accélération industrielle, la Commission européenne cherche à redynamiser l'industrie tout en limitant les émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Mais les deux plus grandes économies de l'UE sont en désaccord sur la manière d'y parvenir.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}