SET Plan Thematic Vision on Batteries is out
22 July 2026
The Thematic Vision is the first building block of the SET Plan's Common Implementation and Investment Plan (CIIP) for batteries.
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.
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.
