ERCST Reflection Note: Aligning Policy Ambitions: Assessing the Omnibus Regulation Against the Antwerp Declaration and the Clean Industrial Deal

Author(s): Andrei Marcu, Chiara Cavallera, Ana Ruiz

The European Union (EU) is navigating a pivotal moment in its industrial and environmental policy landscape, marked by the dual imperatives of maintaining global competitiveness and achieving deep decarbonization. Central to this effort is the Clean Industrial Deal (CID) – a foundational component of the EU’s newly established Competitiveness Compass – which sets a joint roadmap for fostering industrial competitiveness while advancing climate neutrality. Alongside this, the Antwerp Declaration outlines guiding principles for sustainable industrial growth.

This paper aims to critically assess whether the Omnibus Regulation aligns, in spirit, direction and content, with these overarching frameworks. By evaluating the coherence between the Omnibus Regulation and the strategic goals of the CID and Antwerp Declaration, this analysis seeks to shed light on the degree to which current regulatory instruments support the broad political direction and priorities that emerged from the von der Leyen II administration.