MANIFESTO
For a cleaner, more prosperous future in the Iberian Peninsula
Launched in 2023, Cleantech for Iberia represents the voice of the trailblazers developing, deploying and investing in clean technologies across the Iberian Peninsula. Our diverse coalition of leading investors, innovators, universities, incubators and banks bridges the gap between cleantech community and policy makers to allow the peninsula turn into Europe’s cleantech industrial leader.
Europe faces an unprecedented confluence of crises, with challenges posed by the climate emergency, energy security and a struggle to maintain its future economic competitiveness. The European Union is set to become the first climate neutral continent by 2050 and the home of clean technologies against the backdrop of geopolitical instability and fierce global competition for technological leadership and resources. Under all EU energy modeling scenarios for achieving net zero in Europe, the Iberian Peninsula is essential as a core clean electricity supplier for the continent’s needs, producer of green hydrogen and hotspot for sustainable European reindustrialization and development. Whereas the peninsula has unique potential to contribute to Europe’s future energy resilience, it is also one of the EU regions most affected by climate change, having already been hit hard by severe droughts and heat waves over the last years, with 2023 notably the hottest year on record.
In this context, massively deploying cleantech in Iberia is decisive, offering an unprecedented opportunity to sustainably reindustrialize and develop our continent, which is crucial for its sovereignty, competitiveness and achieving our climate goals. Cleantech deployment needs to materialize urgently in the Iberian Peninsula to unlock growth and jobs while safeguarding our society.
Cleantech is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sustainably reindustrialize and develop the Iberian Peninsula
We are committed to fostering a common drive to industrialize and deploy clean technologies at speed and scale across the peninsula, allowing the region to become Europe’s next cleantech leader. We will continue to develop a fruitful dialogue with policymakers across the region and beyond that can put us on the best pathway to boost cleantech initiatives across 3 pillars:
PILLAR 1: COMPETITIVENESS, JOBS AND INVESTMENT
The clean energy sector alone is set to create 2.65 million new jobs in the region by 2030, while leveraging more than €150 billion of investment.
- Boost the Iberian Peninsula’s leadership in the global cleantech race by attracting massive private investment, allowing it to become Europe’s next cleantech hub.
- Attract and secure durable and well-paying jobs, enabling the Iberian Peninsula to become a hotspot for cleantech talent.
- Promote cleantech innovation, technology development and entrepreneurship in Iberia.
PILLAR 2: ENERGY TRANSITION AND SOVEREIGNTY
Spain and Portugal are due to exceed 80% green electricity production by 2030, and the region is home to 20% of the world’s green hydrogen projects.
- Accelerate the green transition and industrial decarbonisation by setting ambitious targets for 2040, by utilizing the region’s abundant clean energy, while ensuring that the transition is fair and inclusive through Fit for 55.
- Unlock leadership in sustainable reindustrialization and development through net zero and home-grown clean industries, fuelled by green and cost-competitive energy.
- Enhance European strategic autonomy by accelerating the circular economy on critical raw material imports from third countries.
PILLAR 3: SOCIETY, CITIZEN WELL-BEING AND SKILLS
The clean energy skills gap in the Iberian Peninsula currently amounts to 100.000 professionals. Both Portugal and Spain estimate 20-30% of the population faces energy poverty.
- Deploy 21st century cleantech skills and awareness to empower the next generation of industry with an effective workforce and overcome the present cleantech skills shortage.
- Increase investment in reskilling and upskilling of professionals to benefit from the labour market transitions following the green transformation of the region.
- Coordinate efforts to reduce high levels of energy poverty in the region.
We strive to work jointly to usher in a new era of Iberian climate and industrial leadership by making cleantech a cornerstone of the Iberian Peninsula’s sustainable development. From urban to rural areas, cleantech offers new opportunities while reshaping existing sectors and creating a more lively and cohesive territory. Creating the right policy conditions for these technologies to scale and become global front-runners will assume a strategic priority in the public debate.
For all these reasons, Cleantech for Iberia promotes this manifesto together with leading cleantech investors, innovators, universities, financial institutions, think-tanks, NGOs and policy makers.
Manifesto Signatories:
