"The Green Hydrogen Manifesto" – Become a Signatory

Paving the Way for Hydrogen – Enabling the Circular Economy & Decarbonization

Setting the direction

The CO₂ content of energy carriers and vectors is to serve as the “new currency” of the energy system.

1. Science-based definitions for hydrogen production methods are required. The methodology should include all life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of renewable and low carbon hydrogen.
2. Transparent and robust sustainability criteria, in line with the principles of the circular economy, need to be adopted for any relevant EU policy and funding program.
3. A credible certification is needed for hydrogen as a global commodity and this certification should be traceable, trackable, tradable, transparent and trustworthy.
4. A carbon border adjustment mechanism needs to create a level playing field to prevent carbon leakage and protect the EU industry’s competitiveness in all sectors.

Guiding the journey

To be implemented, the hydrogen economy requires, for a limited period of time:

1. Exceptions from EU rules, e.g., a relaxation or reform of EU state aid rules.
2. Economic incentives aiming to compensate the higher cost of renewable hydrogen production, end-users’ higher costs due to the change to renewable hydrogen, and for transforming industrial processes to hydrogen.
3. The appointment of a dedicated “EU Hydrogen Special Envoy” in charge of driving forward the EU Hydrogen Strategy and partnerships with third countries.

Stimulating ramp-up and cost reduction

To ramp-up production volumes and reduce cost, it is necessary to stimulate demand and hydrogen production until a mature market has developed. This requires:

1. The setting of market prices for different production methods of hydrogen up to a certain market share and auctions.
2. Conversion of large parts of Europe’s natural gas infrastructure to hydrogen infrastructure. A distinct legal framework at EU level for the regulation of hydrogen networks will allow a clean hydrogen market to emerge and prevent monopolistic behavior.
3. The development of hydrogen valleys with regional and local hydrogen production, storage, and consumption by regulatory stimulation of renewable hydrogen demand including quotas and greenhouse gas reduction obligations.
4. Hydrogen backbones: The connection of areas of low-cost clean hydrogen production with large-scale storage and demand centers is to be launched immediately so that a pan-European hydrogen backbone system is ready by 2035.
5. Deployment of an alternative fuels infrastructure for the use of renewable hydrogen in land transport, maritime and aviation to maximize the decarbonization potential of hydrogen across all sectors.

Download Green Hydrogen Manifesto