Saatja: "Laura Owen-Onsea" <
[email protected]>
Saaja: "info - MKM" <
[email protected]>, "Info - RAM" <
[email protected]>
Teema: Letter from European regions leading the clean energy transition through Hydrogen Valleys
Kuupäev: 2026-03-23 10:27
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Dear Minister Keldo,
Dear Minister Ligi,
On behalf of Hydrogen Europe, the European association representing the
interest of the hydrogen industry and its stakeholders and promoting
hydrogen as an enabler of a zero-emission society, I would like to share
with you the attached letter signed by over 20 European regions leading the
clean energy transition through Hydrogen Valleys. This letter urges support
for Hydrogen Valley ecosystems.
These integrated regional projects are already delivering economic and
climate benefits, with over €1.2 billion in investments since 2019. With
adequate resources, Hydrogen Valleys can play an even greater role in
securing Europe’s competitiveness, growth and industrial resilience
As the EU moves toward defining its next Multiannual Financial Framework
(MFF), national governments will have a pivotal role in ensuring that these
flagship industrial initiatives continue to expand and deliver strategic
benefits for Europe’s energy, industrial and climate ambitions. In this
context, and ahead of the forthcoming discussions at the informal Council on
the MFF, Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF), the
signatories call for reinforced support in the next MFF — including
dedicated funding streams, stronger policy coherence and long‑term
investment predictability — to secure the sustained success and scalability
of Hydrogen Valleys across the Union.
Hydrogen Europe fully supports this call and urges Member States to embed
Hydrogen ecosystems firmly in the Union’s investment strategy and to support
the creation of a mechanism within the European Competitiveness Fund to
scale up flagship projects like Hydrogen Valleys across all Member States.
Following the outcomes of the Informal Council, we will share concrete
recommendations on both the MFF‑related files and would welcome the
opportunity to arrange a meeting or call to discuss these points in greater
detail and explore how we can best support national priorities moving
forward.
Sincerely,
The Hydrogen Europe Secretariat
Laura Owen-Onsea
Manager, EU Advocacy
Mobile: +32 465 33 99 26
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>
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I sometimes work at irregular times, so if this email arrives in your inbox
out of hours, it is not my expectation that you read, action, or reply to it
outside of your working hours.
Joint Call from European Regions for Enhanced Support to Hydrogen Valleys ecosystems
To the attention of:
National Governments of the EU Member States
As European regions at the forefront of the clean energy transition and essential to deliver the Clean
Industrial Deal, we urge all EU Member States to strengthen support for Hydrogen Valleys and firmly
establish them as flagship industrial projects in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and
beyond. For national governments, Hydrogen Valleys are not abstract EU projects. They anchor
industrial activity and skilled jobs, strengthen regional value chains and directly support national
industrial and resilience objectives.
Hydrogen Valleys are integrated initiatives that bring together the entire hydrogen value chain within
a specific region. They combine research and innovation with technology scale-up and deployment.
They enable the emergence of regional hydrogen economies that bridge supply with demand,
innovation with industrial deployment and bring jobs and economic activity.
Today, there are more than 90 Hydrogen Valleys worldwide, including more than 65 in Europe. The
Clean Hydrogen Partnership has supported 21 Hydrogen Valley with more than €250 million across 19
European countries since 2019, unlocking over €1.3 billion in total investments. These projects are
complex in nature, engaging large consortia and facing long investment cycles, but they are already
delivering tangible benefits to local economies.
With adequate resources, Hydrogen Valleys can play an even greater role in securing Europe’s
competitiveness, growth and industrial resilience. They can create the ideal conditions to attract and
scale the manufacturing of clean technologies, whilst at the same time stimulating domestic supply
chains and accelerating industrial activities. Through hydrogen valleys, SMEs and start-ups can test
breakthrough innovations in real-world multi-sectoral environments, speeding up their scale-up and
market readiness.
Supporting Hydrogen Valleys financially means directly investing in Europe's competitiveness,
industrial resilience, and regional development.
The next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) should enable Hydrogen Valleys to serve as flagships
projects for hydrogen market activation by providing adequate financial framework. To unlock their
full potential, a clear and predictable pathway from research to industrial scale is needed. This requires
a structured coordination between the FP10 as successor to Horizon Europe and the European
Competitiveness Fund (ECF), ensuring that successful innovation does not stall before reaching
deployment.
We therefore urge EU Member States to:
• Ensure clear alignment between FP10 and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF) so that
projects can move smoothly from research funding to industrial scale-up and deployment.
• Push for the creation of a clear and predictable co-funding mechanism between FP10 and ECF,
allowing mature Hydrogen Valley projects to apply for scale-up support under simplified
procedures.
• Make it easier for projects to secure other sources of funding at regional, national and EU
level—for example by supporting hydrogen valleys that were recognised as such by the Clean
Hydrogen Partnership but did not receive EU funding—using the new tools available in FP10
and the ECF, such as the FP10 Seal of Competitiveness and Article 5 of the ECF.
Hydrogen Europe Secretariat, Avenue Marnix 23, BE-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 540 87 75 l Email:
[email protected] l Website: www.hydrogeneurope.eu
• Ensure that Hydrogen Valleys have simplified access to the full ECF financial toolbox, including
grants, guarantees, equity and blended finance (both for CAPEX and OPEX) to scale up private
investments.
We, the undersigned regions, are fully committed to developing Hydrogen Valleys, mobilising public
and private actors, and co-investing in Europe’s hydrogen future. We now call on the EU Member
States to match this ambition by embedding Hydrogen ecosystems firmly in the Union’s investment
strategy and to support the creation of a mechanism within the European Competitiveness Fund to
scale up flagship projects like Hydrogen Valleys across all Member States.
Signed by European regions and regional development authorities:
Hydrogen Europe Secretariat, Avenue Marnix 23, BE-1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 540 87 75 l Email:
[email protected] l Website: www.hydrogeneurope.eu