ALBERT

Description: This paper discusses the key questions and challenges for promoting international cooperation between the EU and potential international partners within an emerging hydrogen economy. On this basis, it identifies entry-points for related policy action. Specifically, it outlines six policy dimensions that European policymakers should consider when engaging in the development of international partnerships within the emerging hydrogen economy: climate mitigation, green industrial development in Europe, just transitions in partner countries, geopolitics, security of supply, and economic feasibility. Taking these six dimensions as its starting point, the paper presents nine policy messages for the development of an international hydrogen economy within the context of broader decarbonisation efforts in the EU.

Description: Under the European Green Deal, hydrogen plays a central role in the decarbonisation of so-called »hard-to-electrify« sectors and represents an important target of green industrial policy, as Europe seeks to gain leadership in this emerging segment of carbon-neutral industrial systems. Moreover, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it has been declared an important building block in efforts to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas (Rouzo 2021). While it is almost certain that the EU will need to import a significant share of clean hydrogen to meet its climate-neutrality targets, it also increasingly recognised that it will be important to build up significant capacities in the EU and its immediate vicinity. This can help strengthen the EU energy system’s resilience by reducing import dependencies and serve as a home market for European equipment and technology in the race for industrial leadership in the sector. This was one of nine policy messages formulated in a previous policy paper published jointly by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) on the role of international cooperation in the development of an international hydrogen economy (Quitzow et al. 2023a). Against this background, the Nordic region, with its abundant renewable energy resources at competitive costs could play an important role as a potential hub for hydrogen production and trade, involving EU members Finland, Sweden and Denmark, as well as Norway and Iceland, both members of the European Economic Area. The Nordic states1 are positioning themselves as leaders in the energy transition and are pursuing ambitious decarbonisation targets in an effort to combat climate change. Hydrogen’s possible role in achieving carbon-neutral societies has encouraged an increase in the activities of various stakeholders in the region in the form of concurrent policy development, R&D and industry development. The Nordic countries aim to use hydrogen to help achieve their interrelated climate and energy goals and as a key tool in the transformation of their industries. In this vein, this policy paper explores the role the Nordics could play in an emerging European hydrogen economy. It provides, first, a brief overview of the current state of climate and energy policy in the region. It then goes on to review the state-of-play in the hydrogen sector, including national hydrogen strategies and the current project landscape in the Nordics. Finally, it reviews the role of Nordic cooperation both within the region and with other European partners in supporting a rapid development of the hydrogen economy. It concludes by identifying potential entry-points for increasing cooperation in the future.

Description: In diesem Grundsatzpapier werden die zentralen Fragen und Herausforderungen diskutiert, die sich im Aufbau von Kooperationen zwischen der EU und potenziellen internationalen Partnern in der entstehenden Wasserstoffwirtschaft stellen. Auf dieser Basis werden Ansatzpunkte für politisches Handeln auf diesem Gebiet benannt. Insbesondere werden sechs politische Bereiche umrissen, die europäische Entscheidungsträger_innen beim Aufbau internationaler Partnerschaften in der entstehenden Wasserstoffwirtschaft besonders beachten sollten: Klimaschutz, die Entwicklung grüner Industrien in Europa, Just Transitions (gerechte Übergänge) in Partnerländern, Geopolitik, Versorgungssicherheit und wirtschaftliche Machbarkeit. Ausgehend von diesen sechs Bereichen werden die folgenden neun Kernaussagen getroffen, wie sich eine internationale Wasserstoffwirtschaft als Bestandteil umfassenderer EU-Bemühungen zur Dekarbonisierung entwickeln lässt.