The motivation is twofold: energy independence (accelerated by the conflict in Iran) and European industrial competitiveness vis-à-vis the US and China. This gives it a political solidity that goes beyond the usual electoral cycles.

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Sectors with direct and immediate impact

The bathroom equipment, HVAC, industrial and domestic ventilation sector is probably the most directly affected. The energy transition in buildings – renovation of the existing stock, new constructions with Nearly Zero Energy Building standards – implies a massive demand for heat pumps, ventilation systems with heat recovery, and efficient air conditioning solutions. This market was already growing, but the new strategy accelerates and institutionalizes this demand with public funding behind it.

Low- and medium-voltage electrical equipment is also central. The massive electrification of the economy – more renewables, more electric vehicles, more heat pumps, more electrified industry – requires electrical infrastructure: switchboards, protections, transformers, measurement and control systems. The EU needs to strengthen its distribution networks, and the strategy explicitly mentions the strengthening of grid operators’ balance sheets as one of the four lines of action.

Plastic processing machinery has a less obvious but real opportunity vector: European manufacturing of components for renewable energies (wind turbine blades, photovoltaic encapsulants, geothermal pipes) uses extrusion, injection and thermoforming processes. If the strategy achieves its objective of strengthening the European supply chain in clean technologies – reducing dependence on Asia – this could translate into investment in new production capacity in Europe that requires machinery.

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The geographic nuance not to be missed

The strategy is European, but investment will not be evenly distributed. Countries with larger energy deficits and higher import dependency –EasternEurope, Southern Europe, Baltic countries –will be priority recipients of funds. For amec’s SMEs, this means that markets such as Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic or the Baltic countries, which are already relevant for many partners, may become particularly active sources of demand in the next three to five years. These are also markets where Spanish SMEs have less competition than in Germany or France.

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Strategy for amec members

The most urgent thing is not to wait for the demand to come on its own, but to position ourselves in the right financing channels. Many of these projects will be financed through the EIB, InvestEU or cohesion funds with national co-financing. Companies that understand how these instruments work, or that work with distributors and integrators who know them, will have an advantage over those that simply react when the order comes in.

In addition, the strategy explicitly mentions the need to strengthen the European content in the clean technology supply chain. This is a window for Spanish manufacturers in the face of Asian competition, but it requires that amec’s partners are able to accredit themselves as quality European suppliers, which involves certifications, references and presence in relevant European trade fairs and sector forums.

This strategy is a structured spending program that will create real and sustained demand for at least five years in sectors where several amec members have the capacity to compete. The question is not whether there will be a market, but whether they will be well positioned when that market becomes active.