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This is a hybrid meeting, participants can choose to attend online or in person. 

This new workstream aims to bring together stakeholders, including policymakers and industry on a regular basis to discuss substantive issues around the topic of hydrogen, informed by original intellectual input from ERCST.

 After the publication of the European Commission Hydrogen Strategy in July 2020 and after the publication of the Fit for 55 first set of publications in July 2021, the Commission proposed on December 15^th 2021 a set of legislative proposals including the revision of the Gas Regulation 715/2009 and the Gas Directive 2009/73 (the package). Following the proposals, the Commission has opened a feedback period that will be opened for  several weeks to assess stakeholder’s reactions to the package.

Drawing on the lessons of previous stock-takes on the topic discussed in December 2021 and January 2022, this meeting intends to shape ERCST feedback to the European Commission proposals.

The package represents just a piece of the hydrogen regulatory puzzle, and therefore it is not called to regulate all aspects of the EU hydrogen economy. While acknowledging the commendable effort carried out by the European Commission, we believe there is still some room for improvement in the package.

One of the issues where we see this is the proposed definition framework. On this front we would like to encourage a discussion about to what extent the proposed definition for low-carbon hydrogen is aligned with the European Commission hydrogen strategy making low-carbon hydrogen a transitional tool to rump-up the nascent hydrogen market.

Another relevant issue is whether too much attention has been drowned to the regulation of hydrogen transportation infrastructure before making sure the demand side is mature and incentivized enough as to justify such level of regulatory intervention.

Finally, we would like to reflect on the issue of hydrogen imports & exports trying to shed more light on a question that has not been fully addressed so far in the proposals and will have a crucial importance for the future of some EU industries.

This meeting intends to contribute shaping ERCST response to the European Commission Public Consultation on the hydrogen and decarbonized gas market package on three main issues: 

• Is the proposed definition for low-carbon hydrogen aligned with the ambitions of the European Commission hydrogen strategy?
• Are we making an excessive use of regulation for hydrogen transportation infrastructure before making sure the demand side is mature and incentivized enough as to justify this level of regulatory intervention?
• Based on the proposed regulatory framework is the EU encouraging hydrogen imports? Should the EU take this stance?

Workshop materials:

AGENDA

• Policy brief 
• ERCST presentation
• Bellona presentation
• Enagas presentation