On 5 March 2025, the European Commission presented an industrial action plan to drive innovation, sustainability and competitiveness in the automotive sector. The plan seeks to offer a comprehensive strategy aimed at maintaining the global competitiveness of the European automotive industry while navigating the transition to clean mobility and digital integration. Simultaneously, it seeks to address challenges such as access to raw materials, uncompetitive trade practices and rising production costs.

With the Climate Protection Contracts (Klimaschutzverträge) program (also known as Carbon Contracts for Difference program), Germany has been relying on an innovative instrument to ensure (climate-neutral) competitiveness since 2023. Following the largely positive reception of the first bidding round and the European Commission’s approval under state aid law on 24 March 2025, the course is now set for the implementation of the second bidding round. According to the latest reports, the new federal government also seems to want to give the final green light for the continuation of the program.

On 8 December 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) presented its energy storage strategy. The strategy paper provides an overview of the measures and challenges involved in establishing energy storage systems. The energy storage strategy aims to promote the expansion and integration of energy storage systems and thus support the energy transition.

On 5 February 2024, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Economy Minister Robert Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner agreed on the key elements of a new power plant strategy (Kraftwerksstrategie). While the political agreement must still be followed by a specific legislative proposal, details of the power plant strategy became available through a press release from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

Germany is taking further steps with regard to developing a national hydrogen infrastructure. On 19 June 2023, the Federal Government published respective draft legislation that provides for the development of a hydrogen core grid. The Bundesrat (one of the two legislative chambers in Germany representing the German states) issued an essentially positive statement on this draft. The legislation is expected to be adopted soon.