European Parliament’s Efforts to Decarbonise Europe
MEP Thomas Pellerin-Carlin talks about some of the key decarbonisation solutions for Europe.
Decarbonising the heating and cooling sector is essential to achieving the EU’s energy and climate goals. You’ve stated that heat pumps, especially when combined with renewable energy, present a tangible and ready-to-use solution. They could also help reduce energy poverty. However, their deployment requires strong action at the European level. What steps do you believe need to be taken now?
First, we need to understand where heat pumps can make the biggest impact. Buildings consume around 40% of Europe’s total energy, and most of that goes to space heating. This is where heat pumps can be transformative.
To ensure broad deployment, we need a policy framework that allows every European – whether they live in an apartment or a house, in a city or a rural area – to choose the heat pump technology that fits their needs. A key barrier today is the cost and volatility of electricity. We must restore confidence among European families and businesses that electricity prices will be stable and affordable in the long run. That’s vital to encourage the shift away from fossil fuels like oil and gas towards cleaner, electric heating solutions.
Wind energy is a major source of clean and affordable electricity, currently providing over 20% of Europe’s power. Yet, the sector faces challenges such as slow deployment, fragmented policies, and unfair global competition. How are you addressing these issues within the ITRE Committee?
Our first priority in the ITRE Committee is to create demand. Despite the political rhetoric around electrification, electricity demand in Europe has actually been declining. That’s a serious issue – not just for renewables like wind, but for all clean electricity providers. To change this, we need coherent policies that accelerate electrification in both buildings and mobility.
Despite the political rhetoric around electrification, electricity demand in Europe has actually been declining.
We must support electric vehicles, public transport, and industrial decarbonisation to increase electricity consumption – and therefore demand for clean energy. For wind power specifically, we also need an investment environment that allows European manufacturers to thrive.
We’re working on trade defense mechanisms to prevent market flooding from non-European producers, especially in light of shifting global trade dynamics. But beyond that, we must give our own industry the tools it needs – smart support like two-sided contracts for difference at project level, and stronger backing from the European Investment Bank through loans, guarantees, and contract insurance. This approach doesn’t rely on subsidies, but on strategic, long-term support that enables European wind manufacturers to remain globally competitive.
You proposed the European Social Leasing Scheme together with Polish Minister Bolesta, advocating for the affordability and accessibility of small electric cars – especially since cars remain the main mode of transport for hundreds of millions of Europeans. In your view, could this initiative effectively help tackle transport poverty?
Absolutely, the European Social Leasing Scheme is designed precisely to fight transport poverty and improve access to clean mobility.
Right now, the European new car market is skewed. The typical new car buyer is wealthy, often older, and tends to live in Western Europe. Meanwhile, many working-class Europeans – especially in rural and peri-urban areas – rely heavily on cars but can’t afford new, let alone electric, vehicles.
Many working-class Europeans – especially in rural and peri-urban areas – rely heavily on cars but can’t afford new, let alone electric, vehicles.
The Social Leasing Scheme aims to change that by making small electric cars affordable for lower-income households. It’s targeted at people earning below the median income – around €2,000/month in France, for example – as well as those living far from their workplace.
We’ve already seen how effective this can be. A pilot programme in France launched in January 2024 showed promising results: the average beneficiary was in their 30s, often with young children, needing a car to commute, take kids to school, and more. The leasing model – supported by EU funds via the Social Climate Fund – means they don’t need €30,000 to buy a car; instead, they can lease one for €50 to €150 a month.
This initiative helps working Europeans transition to clean mobility without financial hardship – and does so quickly, on a scale.
You recently co-launched the Cleantech Friendship Group – an initiative aimed at highlighting the importance of cleantech for Europe, comprising over 30 MEPs. The European Commission supports the promotion of clean technologies to foster a more sustainable and competitive EU economy. How do you plan to support these ambitions through this group?
The cleantech transition is one of the most important industrial revolutions of our time. Twenty years ago, during the digital revolution, Europe moved too slowly—on regulation, investment, and building a single digital market. As a result, today we rely almost entirely on foreign technology – there’s no major European smartphone maker, no European-owned social platforms, and few manufacturers of digital infrastructure.
The cleantech transition is one of the most important industrial revolutions of our time.
We cannot repeat this mistake with cleantech. If we fail, Europe risks becoming a passive consumer of technologies developed elsewhere – rather than a leader in shaping the future.
That’s why we launched the Cleantech Friendship Group: to rally cross-party support in the European Parliament for policies that enable cleantech leadership. We are more than 30 MEPs strong, from five different political groups and many countries. I co-chair the group with Lídia Pereira from Portugal, a centrist MEP from the EPP.
Our mission is to deliver real policy change – on EU funding, regulation, and a proper single market for cleantech. We need to ensure our companies, workers, researchers, and investors can lead – not follow – in areas like wind, solar, batteries, and green hydrogen.
Europe must become the global cleantech leader – not just for climate reasons, but for our economic future, our industrial sovereignty, and our role as a global democratic power.