On 16 September 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered the SOTEU, an address focused on strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and economic resilience. She also highlighted priorities in security and defence, social inclusion, climate resilience, and protecting democracy and the rule of law. Key initiatives include Single Market reforms, regulatory simplification, housing, skills, critical raw materials, climate adaptation, and democratic resilience.

Priorities are framed around three broad objectives: strengthening Europe’s economy, enhancing security and resilience, and ensuring the EU has the resources and capacity to act.

Relevance for the battery sector

The EU faces significant dependencies on third countries for critical raw materials, particularly China. The Commission announced plans to establish a European Corporation on Critical Raw Materials. The initiative would aim to facilitate the procurement and stockpiling of key materials needed for sectors including electric vehicles, semiconductors, batteries, clean technologies and defence. The measures are presented as part of broader efforts to strengthen the resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy of European industry.
Moreover, during her speech before the MEPs on Wednesday, von der Leyen invited Canada to become “the first associate member of the European Union”. She called for a new alliance with Ottawa, which could include tech, defence, Arctic joint projects, but also energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

Join BEPA’s new projects webinar to learn about the research results of TEMPEST, NEXTBAT and EXTENDED.

Each project will present the results which came out of their research, with some time for Q&A with the audience.

The #BATT4EU partnership projects focusing on battery research and innovation are demonstrating impressive progress and delivering groundbreaking results across the entire battery value chain.

To highlight their achievements and share their success stories, BEPA is organising a dedicated webinar series: #BATT4EU Success Stories.

Register here!

Batteries Event 2026 will take place on 16–18 November 2026 in Lyon, France, bringing together stakeholders from across the global battery ecosystem for three days of discussions, knowledge exchange and networking.

The event will gather more than 1,000 participants, 150 speakers and 100 exhibitors, including representatives from industry, research, academia and the wider battery community.

The programme will address developments and challenges across the entire battery value chain, covering topics such as battery materials and components, cell manufacturing, next-generation battery technologies, industrial scale-up, recycling and second life, as well as a wide range of battery applications.

Alongside the conference programme, participants will have the opportunity to meet battery experts and industry representatives through technical sessions, workshops, the exhibition and dedicated networking opportunities.

BEPA is supporting Batteries Event 2026 as a Media Partner. Therefore, for our Members, we offer a 20 % discount – find out more here!

Discover more about the event!

The EU sets an indicative target of 46% electrification by 2040, to be assessed as part of the post-2030 Energy Union package. This is expected to reduce gas imports by more than 70% and crude oil imports by 40%, cutting the EU’s fossil-fuel import bill by around €260 billion annually by 2040. By 2030, the plan also aims to support affordable electricity, deploy 400,000 zero-emission trucks, and increase heat-pump installations to 4 million per year.

To support the preparation of the action plan, the Commission launched a call for evidence and a public consultation from 28 August until 9 October and 20 November 2025 respectively. The consultation aimed to collect feedback on the role of electrification in the transport sector, industry and buildings, on key barriers and on policy areas where action is needed to accelerate the transition.

Reducing the gap between electricity and fossil energy costs

Boosting innovation and investment

Leading clean electrification globally

Industry

Transport

Buildings

ETS REVIEW

On the same day the Commission presented this plan, it also announced a review of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the EU’s main decarbonisation policy. This review, along with the action plan are part of the EU’s wider efforts to boost Europe’s competitiveness, decarbonisation and independence.

The review updates the Linear Reduction Factor (LRF) to 3.7% for 2031–2035 and 1.7% for 2036–2040, aligning the emissions trajectory with domestic climate ambitions, while integrating permanent carbon removals into the EU ETS to provide hard-to-abate sectors with extra flexibility and support technology scaling.

The revised ETS will have a strong focus on investments. The Industrial Decarbonisation Bank will have €100bn funding going towards industrial decarbonisation across Europe at scale. The ETS Investment Booster will be available before 2030 as the first phase of the Bank. The EU ETS Innovation Fund will continue to support first commercial applications of innovative clean technologies in a wide range of sectors.

Member States will be required to spend 50% of their national ETS revenues on investments to decarbonise ETS sectors, adding up to more than €100bn in investments before 2030.

A separate proposal on benchmarks aims to increase free allocation to industry worth €6 billion for the period 2026-2030. For sectors that are covered by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the reduction of free allocation will be slowed and the phase-out extended until 2038.

The Industrial Decarbonisation Bank1 aims at EUR 100 billion in funding based on funds in the Innovation Fund, additional revenues resulting from parts of the ETS as well as the revision of InvestEU. The Bank will be placed within the governance of the future Competitiveness Fund. Prior to the revision of the ETS Directive in 2026, the Commission will launch in 2025 a pilot with a EUR 1 billion auction on the decarbonisation of key industrial processes across various sectors supporting industrial decarbonisation and electrification, using a combination of existing resources under the Innovation Fund and auctions-as-a-service.

 

The Batteries European Partnership Association (BEPA) has officially launched its Battery R&I Blueprint campaign, calling on organisations across the battery ecosystem to support its proposal. With discussions on the EU’s next long-term budget now underway, BEPA advocates for batteries to be further acknowledged as a key enabling technology in the future of Europe, with adequate and coherent funding secured in the next Framework Programme, FP10. Battery R&I Blueprint is the document that makes that case — the broader its support, the stronger it will be.

Battery R&I Blueprint is BEPA members’ collective proposal for FP10. Developed through multiple rounds of consultation with industry, research and policy stakeholders, it sets out the most ambitious and impactful R&I strategy for the EU’s next long-term budget, starting by redrawing the picture of what Europe’s battery sector actually is today.

Batteries are central to Europe’s future economy, the technology that will decarbonise transport, secure the continent’s energy supply, and underpin next-generation industry, defence and digital infrastructure. Global demand is forecast to grow seven-fold by 2040. Europe has a world-class research base and strong positions across much of the value chain, but these strengths are not yet converting into industrial leadership. BEPA’s Blueprint proposes a dedicated Batteries Partnership to change that.

“Competitiveness in battery R&I requires us to avoid fragmentation and to stay focused on impact. If there is one place in Europe where stakeholders from research, established industry, start-ups, and the political and financial sectors come together to define the impact we want, set priorities and chart the path toward them, it is in a European Partnership on batteries. Only through unity can Europe compete on a global scale.”— Michael Lippert, President, BEPA

The ask is shared by the Member States too: seventeen Member States, via the SET Plan’s battery Implementation Working Group, have adopted a Thematic Vision recommending that a dedicated battery partnership continue beyond the current Framework Programme, building on BATT4EU’s proven track record under Horizon Europe. The ask is continuity, not a restart.

BEPA invites Member States, industry, research organisations and partners across the European battery value chain to endorse the Battery R&I Blueprint and support a dedicated Batteries Partnership in the next Framework Programme.

Read the Blueprint here!

Endorse it here!

The next EU research and innovation framework programme, FP10, will shape battery funding priorities for the next seven years, and that agenda is being defined now.

The Battery R&I Blueprint is BEPA members’ collective proposal for FP10, setting out the sector’s challenges and the research and innovation path needed to secure Europe’s battery competitiveness, resilience and technological sovereignty under a renewed battery partnership.

Find out how to add your organisation’s name to back our proposal.

Agenda: the detailed agenda will be updated soon

Register here!

MEMBERS ONLY- REGISTRATION DETAILS HAVE BEEN SENT TO MEMBERS VIA EMAIL

WELCOME COCKTAIL RECEPTION (12 November)

Following two days of interactive discussions at Battery Innovation Days in Stockholm, BEPA is pleased to invite you to a cocktail reception on Thursday 12 November 2026 at Berns Hotel​.

This will be the perfect occasion to meet and network with the BEPA community in a historic venue in the heart of Stockholm. The cocktail reception will start at 19:00, in a 1863 salon inspired by the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY (13 November)

The General Assembly, taking place on Friday 13th of November, will update you on our R&I 2026 activities; we will present the performance of our campaign “The Battery R&I Blueprint”. There will be important elections for BEPA’s open Governance positions and the approval of the 2027 Work Plan and Budget. And more!

MATCHMAKING EVENT (13 November)

The afternoon will be fully dedicated to matchmaking around the 4 open Batt4EU Horizon Europe calls:

  • CL5-2027-02-D2-05 Improvement of Adaptability, Flexibility and Efficiency of Existing Recycling Processes (BATT4EU Partnership)
  • Deadline: 31 March 2027 – LINK​
  • CL5-2027-02-D2-06 Sustainable and Competitive Cell Production Techniques for Lithium-ion And Sodium-ion Batteries (BATT4EU Partnership)
  • Deadline: 31 March 2027 – LINK​
  • HORIZON-CL5-2027-04-Two-Stage-D2-07 Novel approaches towards next-generation battery concepts, leveraging the enabling role of innovative advanced materials (BATT4EU and IAM4EU Partnerships)
  • Deadlines: 1st stage: 14 April 2027; 2nd stage: 07 October 2027 – LINK​
  • HORIZON-CL5-2027-05-D2-08 Demonstration for Long-duration Battery Energy Storage Systems (BATT4EU Partnership)
  • Deadline: 15 September 2027 – LINK​

The matchmaking provides members with the opportunity to build strong consortia and explore project opportunities. BEPA will present and analyse the open calls; we will then open the floor to the matchmaking.

Each call will have a dedicated room. You can select your preferred room, and you will be able to pitch (indicate this in the registration) and hear pitches from other members on the call of interest to you.

RISE SITE VISITS

RISE will open the doors to their labs. For those interested in learning more about RISE, we have organised a site visit. Select your preferred time during registration.

MEMBERS ONLY- REGISTRATION DETAILS HAS BEEN SENT TO MEMBERS VIA EMAIL. If you are a member and did not receive it please contact v.petetti@bepassociation.eu

Europe is mobilising public funding to build a competitive and resilient European battery value chain. For large-scale strategic investments, major funding instruments are now available across the entire value chain: the new IPCEI waves on Critical Raw Materials (CRM), Circular Advanced Materials (CAM) and Clean, Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) for innovation and first industrial deployment.

Agenda:

This webinar is for members only. 

On 27 July 2026, the European Commission has adopted a Charter of Access for Industrial Users to Research and Technology Infrastructures to speed up and simplify companies’ access to Europe’s world-class infrastructures.

Built around six voluntary principles, the Charter aims to improve businesses’ access to cutting edge laboratories, scientific equipment, pilot lines and other advanced facilities.

By reducing administrative, legal and information barriers, the Charter aims to help startups, scaleups and other companies access the expertise, equipment and services they need to test, validate and scale innovative products more efficiently. In doing so, it is expected to shorten time to-market, foster innovation and contribute to Europe’s competitiveness, supporting the objectives of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the European strategy on research and technology infrastructures. The Charter’s six key principles are designed to improve the access conditions for businesses to research and technology infrastructures:

1. Increased visibility and availability of services

2. Transparency and quality of services

3. Simplified contract and agreement procedures

4. Safe intellectual property management

5. Tailored support to companies

6. Cooperation between infrastructures and access to data

The Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan is the EU’s primary platform for accelerating the development, manufacturing and market uptake of clean energy technologies. Steered by the Member States and the European Commission, it aligns public and private research and innovation priorities across strategic energy technologies, with batteries covered by Implementation Working Group 7 (IWG7).

The Thematic Vision is the first building block of the SET Plan’s Common Implementation and Investment Plan (CIIP) for batteries. It provides a concise snapshot of the current state of the European battery value chain and sets out a shared long-term ambition: a fully integrated, competitive and circular European battery ecosystem across the entire value chain; from raw materials through manufacturing, applications and end-of-life. It frames targets across the short (2030), medium (2040) and long term (2050), and identifies five priority R&I areas for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034), spanning resilient raw-materials value chains, sustainable advanced materials and next-generation chemistries, manufacturing scale-up and producibility, competitive recycling and circularity, and battery intelligence and system integration.

A recommendation BEPA has long advocated for

We are especially pleased that the first recommendation of the Thematic Vision calls to maintain a dedicated public-private battery partnership beyond the current MFF — ensuring continuity of the collaborative R&I ecosystem across the full value chain established through Batt4EU. This is precisely what our members have been advocating for and have voiced their support for under the Battery Deal for Europe, and it aligns with the upcoming Battery R&I blueprint. Seeing this reflected as the leading recommendation from the Member States representatives is a strong and welcome outcome for our community.

Fabrice Stassin, Secretary General of BEPA, commented:
“The recommendation from Member States to maintain a dedicated and ambitious battery partnership (BATT4EU 2.0) in the next EU budget is a strong signal of trust in our European battery ecosystem. This is a confirmation that we need to keep battery R&I under one roof and it is a mandate for BEPA and its 250+ members to keep delivering.”

Next steps: the SRIA

With the Thematic Vision now adopted, the work moves to the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), which BEPA will lead under IWG7 oversight, with a view to submission for endorsement by 15 October 2026.

In the coming phase, this input will be taken forward: BEPA will bring it to the Member States under the IWGs and consolidate it into the SRIA document, which will be developed together with the IWGs and BEPA working group chairs over the course of the summer, for publication in October. The BEPA working groups will continue to be engaged throughout the summer, and towards the end of the summer you will be consulted again on the draft of the document.

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