On Wednesday, 5 March 2025, the European Parliament officially relaunched the Cleantech Friendship Group (CFG), bringing together 32 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to accelerate the EU’s leadership in clean technologies. Among others, the launch in Brussels was attended by Kädi Ristkok and Imants Martinsons from Cleantech for Baltics.
The Cleantech Friendship Group is a cross-party forum within the European Parliament that aims to act as a key intermediary in shaping Europe’s Clean Industrial Deal. The Group is formed of 32 MEPs from across the political spectrum and representing 14 of EU Members States.
The launch event addressed key topics driving the clean industrial revolution such as the dual-use potential of cleantech, bridging the financing gap, and ensuring access to critical raw materials.
Cleantech Friendship Group Co-Chair Thomas Pellerin-Carolin emphasized that the dual use potential of cleantech cannot be undermined, bringing as a great example Estonian Skeleton Technologies that provides energy storage solutions for both civilian and military use.
Von der Leyen noted that one of the most pressing challenges for the industry is closing the cleantech innovation financing gap. To address this, the Clean Industrial Deal will inject €100 billion in additional funding to support cleantech development and deployment across Europe.
The discussion also addressed the importance of securing access to critical raw materials for the success of cleantech industries. To reduce dependency on single suppliers, the EU is committed to diversifying its trade partnerships and forging new alliances to create a more resilient and sustainable supply chain.
MEPs in the Cleantech Friendship Group 2024-2029 are: Barry Andrews, Jeannette Baljeu, Hildegard Bentele, Michael Bloss, Pascal Canfin, Mohammed Chahim, Christophe Clergeau, Annalisa Corrado, Paulo Cunha, Christian Doleschal, Sofie Eriksson, Nicolás González Casares, Niels Flemming Hansen, Martin Hojsik, Radan Kanev, Ondřej Krutílek, Sara Matthieu, Eva Maydell (Paunova), Aura Salla, Susana Solís Pérez, Liesbet Sommen, Kai Tegethoff, Ingeborg ter Laak, Bruno Tobback, Reinier van Lanschot, Andrea Wechsler, Tiemo Wölken, Virginijus Sinkevičius, Pierre Jouvet, Vytenis Andriukaitis.
