The Deal was launched in February 2025 and presents measures to boost every stage of production, with a focus on:  

• energy-intensive industries such as steel, metals, and chemicals, that urgently need support to decarbonise, switch to clean energy, and tackle high costs, unfair global competition, and complex regulations
• the clean-tech sector which is at the heart of future competitiveness and necessary for industrial transformation, circularity, and decarbonisation. 

Another element of the Deal is circularity which aims to reduce waste and extend the life of materials by promoting recycling, reuse, and sustainable production. Maximising EU’s limited resources and reducing overdependencies on third-country suppliers for raw materials is crucial for a competitive and resilient market.

Although the food industry is not specifically mentioned in the Deal, it is clearly considered under energy-intensive industries, and dependent on many outputs of related industries.

Main elements of the Clean Industrial Deal are:

• Affordable energy (Affordable Energy Action Plan) 

• Boosting demand for clean products

• Financing the clean transition

• Circularity and access to materials 

• Acting on a global scale 

• Skills and quality jobs 

Related legislation:

Communication COM/2025/85: The Clean Industrial Deal: A joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation