A win for big business, a loss for everyone else: Behind the smoke and mirrors of the Clean Industrial Deal
At first glance, the Commission’s proposal for a Clean Industrial Deal (CID) promises transformation — a bold step toward decarbonisation and industrial resilience. But this deal isn’t built for all. It’s built for the few.
The CID claims to be a cornerstone of EU climate action and a lifeline for European industry, but so far, its main contribution is to systematically sideline the people and principles it should uplift. Workers, communities, partner countries are all treated as afterthoughts in an initiative that bends over backwards to serve corporate giants.
The CID reflects the Commission’s latest obsession: competitiveness. The emphasis on making European industry more ‘competitive’ and ‘resilient’ masks a dangerous reality: deregulation for polluters, handouts for the biggest players, and vague promises for everyone else. Social rights? Barely mentioned. Inequality? Ignored. As if that wasn’t enough, the CID was announced alongside a corporate deregulation package, cutting key social and environmental protections.
The CID hands more power and profit to the very corporations that have deepened inequality, avoided taxes, and undermined labour rights for decades. Meanwhile, the proposals and concerns of trade unions and civil society as well as the wellbeing of local communities are clearly at the margins of this initiative.
This is not the just transition we’ve fought for.
We welcome the continued climate ambition and the recognition of skills and quality jobs — but these are meaningless without concrete funding, enforceable protections, and a social contract that puts people first.
A just transition cannot be built on market logic and shareholder interests. It must be anchored in social rights, global fairness, and democratic governance within the confines of nature’s boundaries. While the challenges currently facing industry are real, the CID does not represent a systemic solution. Rather it is a short-sighted approach which both fails to respond to its expressed geopolitical goals and will not secure a sustainable future for all. The CID still has time to change course, but only if EU leaders start to listen to the multitude of voices pointing to its flaws.
We call for a Clean and Social Industrial Deal that delivers for all, not just those at the top.
This SOLIDAR briefing paper provides a concise overview of the Commission’s Communication and critically examines its potential to deliver a just transition for all. Furthermore, it proposes a set of policy recommendations aimed at strengthening the social and international dimensions of the CID, thereby ensuring a fairer and more impactful strategy.
