Von der Leyen Rallies Europe to Lead the Clean Tech Race and Cut Energy Costs at Key EU Summit

Brussels, October 23, 2025, With a tone both urgent and optimistic, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen opened preparations for the European Council meeting by urging leaders to make Europe the world’s clean technology powerhouse. Speaking before Members of the European Parliament, she framed the moment as decisive for Europe’s economy, security, and climate future.

“Globally, the clean transition is in full swing,” von der Leyen declared, noting that more than 580 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity were added worldwide last year, marking the third consecutive record. “Clean tech markets around the world are booming,” she added, emphasizing that Europe must not miss its opportunity to lead.

Von der Leyen’s remarks, recorded in the official European Commission audiovisual service transcript, linked the themes of defence, competitiveness, and decarbonisation under one core message: Europe’s prosperity depends on controlling its own industrial future. The Commission’s new Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, she said, will go hand in hand with measures to ensure economic resilience and technological sovereignty.

Her speech was rich in numbers and sharp warnings. She pointed out that while Europe’s clean tech exports reached €80 billion last year, tripling in six years, China now exports nearly twice as much. “We cannot afford to fall into new and dangerous dependencies,” she cautioned, invoking the lessons of past supply crises and the vulnerability that arises when one nation controls critical technologies.

The President called for Europe to “be in control of strategic clean technologies and manufacturing,” reminding lawmakers that clean tech is not only about reducing emissions but about maintaining competitiveness and independence. She cited examples from across the globe: renewables in the Middle East have increased fivefold in five years, while developing nations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America have seen electric vehicle sales jump by 60 percent.

Europe’s response, she argued, must be equally ambitious. Von der Leyen outlined three new strategic initiatives to ensure Europe’s leadership:

1. A “Made in Europe” criterion for public procurement, ensuring that taxpayer funds support European clean industries. With public procurement representing 14 percent of EU GDP, von der Leyen described this as “massive financial firepower” that can stimulate homegrown innovation.
2. Foreign investment screening, to ensure that new investors in European industry “create good jobs for European workers and add value within the Union.”
3. Targeted industrial support, including a “battery booster” initiative and new automotive programs, aimed at strengthening Europe’s green manufacturing base.

Turning to competitiveness and energy prices, von der Leyen acknowledged the heavy strain on European industry. She revealed that taxes make up 34 percent of industrial energy bills and 42 percent of household bills, calling on member states to “work together to bring these taxes down.” The Commission, she announced, had presented concrete actions to reduce energy bills and accelerate the shift to homegrown clean electricity.

Von der Leyen highlighted the forthcoming WITS package and New Energy Highways initiative, designed to modernize Europe’s grids and interconnectors, using cohesion funds to improve infrastructure. She praised nations investing in solar, wind, hydropower, and nuclear energy for achieving the lowest energy costs and urged others to follow their example.

Her closing message was both a rallying cry and a challenge: “We all need faster decisions because the clean industrial race will only get faster. We can either stand still and fall behind, or we can build the jobs of the future right here in Europe.”

As Europe prepares for a pivotal Council meeting, von der Leyen’s speech has set the tone for a debate that goes beyond climate policy, it is about securing Europe’s economic destiny in a rapidly changing global landscape.

Sources:

European Commission Audiovisual Service (Speech by Ursula von der Leyen, October 23, 2025) - Preparation of the European Council meeting of 23 October 2025: opening statement by Ursula VON DER LEYEN, President of the European Commission 🔗

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