Low-carbon hydrogen: how a marginal energy source became an explosive political battle

The European Commission’s draft definition of low-carbon hydrogen is being presented to national experts on 19 May. The seemingly dry dossier has prompted significant concerns from the EU’s most powerful member states, and attention from the highest political level. Contexte outlines how a technical argument over secondary legislation has reignited a much more fiery dispute over national energy mixes.
16 May 2025 at 8h00
Energy
Hydrogen has become an explosive political issue. iStock
by Anna Hubert

On 19 May, experts from the 27 EU Member States are set to discuss the European Commission’s draft delegated act introducing, for the first time, a definition of low-carbon hydrogen.

On paper deeply technical, the issue has also become highly political. At stake is the viability of billions of euros in investment, and the EU’s broader decarbonisation goals.

The issue has crossed the desks of Europe’s most influential politicians. France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz called for a “pragmatic…

Further reading

The EU’s clean industrial subsidy framework leaves room for gas The EU’s clean industrial subsidy framework leaves room for gas

The EU’s clean industrial subsidy framework leaves room for gas

The European Commission released its highly anticipated subsidy framework on 25 June, setting out how EU state aid can be dished out for the next five years. The clean industrial state aid framework, a key plank of decarbonisation goals, covers everything from nuclear, to clean technology manufacturing, to de-risking private investments in energy infrastructure. Perhaps most controversially, it allows public subsidies to go to a fossil fuel, albeit setting a 2040 phase-out date.
Competition - Energy
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Natural gas

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