EU launches new low-carbon initiative

The European Commission on Tuesday launched a new initiative for EU industry to cope with the climate challenge and stay ahead in low-carbon technologies.

The Sustainable Industry Low Carbon II (SILC II) initiative, funded under Horizon 2020 with a budget of 20 million euros (27 million U.S. dollars), aims at contributing to the achievement of the stringent EU climate and energy targets, as well as the decarbonization of the EU economy in the long run.

The SILC II initiative will fund projects which develop low-carbon technology solutions, with a special focus on energy-intensive industries, in order to achieve significant greenhouse gas emission reductions in EU industry.

In practice, the SILC II initiative will support the development of new technologies, and their implementation in some industrial plants, that will allow goods to be produced with much lower emissions.

Michel Barnier, EU Commissioner for industry and entrepreneurship said, "We need to tackle the problem of climate change, but we cannot give up on industrial production in Europe."

"Moreover, the projects will boost EU leadership in advanced manufacturing and low-carbon technologies," said Barnier.