In response to global shifts driven by the US Inflation Reduction Act and China’s dominance in clean tech, the EU is placing clean industrial policy at the core of its climate and economic agenda. Through the EU Clean Industrial Deal and its new Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships (CTIPs), Brussels seeks to scale up clean tech manufacturing, secure critical raw materials and forge stronger international cooperation. These CTIPs aim to replace fragmented, uncoordinated past efforts with a more integrated, strategic approach that aligns EU interests with those of partner countries.

The first CTIP, launched with South Africa, underscores the EU’s ambition to support just transitions abroad while strengthening its own supply chains. For CTIPs to succeed, the EU must move beyond extractive policies and ensure local value creation, engage diverse stakeholders, mobilise fresh resources and coordinate across institutions. Success will depend on balancing speed with trust-building, linking internal credibility with external partnerships and ultimately redefining how trade, investment and decarbonisation can work hand-in-hand globally.

Read the whole blog written by Sarah Jackson on the TESS Forum for Trade, Environment, & the SDGs website.