As European countries continue to adapt their economic, social and industry policies to minimise the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, key elements of the Green Deal offer new jobs and business opportunities to help with the recovery while addressing climate change at the same time. In particular, the European Union (EU) hydrogen and energy system integration strategies clearly highlight the potential benefits of and urgent need for investment to accelerate the deployment of renewable electricity generation on which decarbonisation of the EU economy, including the future production of renewable hydrogen and synthetic fuels in the EU, will depend.

In this Commentary, EASAC (the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council), which is the independent voice of the National Academies of Science of the EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland and the UK, draws upon its previous work on energy and decarbonisation policies to comment and advise, through 15 key points for policy-makers, on the implementation of the EU hydrogen strategy.