05/06/2026
How can European regions successfully navigate the green industrial transition when competing for resources and labour?
Based on the findings of the ESPON RE-Industry project, Øyvind Vennerød, Jonas Erraia and Einar Stoltenberg Wahl from Menon Economics highlight that successful industrial renewal depends on matching specific sectors to a region’s unique structural strengths and objectives, rather than promoting generic strategic industries in the abstract.
Key points of their analysis:
☝️Regional endowments are categorised into five pillars: energy, workforce, market access, ecosystem, and innovation. Data shows no single European region is strong across all five.
👌Different green industries serve different strategic goals. For example, battery cell production generates significant employment, whereas hydrogen production yields fewer jobs but supports long-term cluster development.
👉Regional authorities must carefully assess their risk appetite in relation to technological maturity, market conditions, and regulatory frameworks before committing to large-scale industrial projects.
Read the full analysis 👇:
[https://loom.ly/1A-GKZE)