The European Green Deal: a global opportunity for Argentina too?

By Dr. Alexander Freier

The European Green Deal is much more than an environmental strategy: it is the most ambitious economic transformation project in the history of the European Union. Its goal: to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To achieve this, binding emission reduction targets, multi-billion-dollar financing mechanisms, and new sectoral regulations have been defined.

One of the most important pillars is REPowerEU, the plan launched after the war in Ukraine to reduce energy dependence on Russia and accelerate the development of renewable energies. This plan proposes measures such as:

• The obligation to install solar panels on all new buildings,

• Doubling installed solar capacity by 2025,

• Reaching 600 GW of photovoltaic energy by 2030,

• Creating fast-track authorization zones (“go-to areas”) for clean energy,

• Speeding up permits for onshore and offshore wind projects,

• Promoting the expansion of offshore wind energy, with a special emphasis on the North Sea as a strategic European hub.

At the financial level, more than €225 billion will be channeled through the post-COVID Recovery Fund (RRF), complemented by instruments such as the Innovation Fund and the Modernization Fund, with the aim of promoting key technologies such as green hydrogen, batteries, and carbon capture and storage (CCUS) systems.

But the impact of the Green Deal is not limited to European territory. The strategy also envisages global strategic alliances, particularly with Latin America. In this context, Argentina is emerging as a key partner. The South American country has exceptional natural conditions for producing green hydrogen—in Patagonia and the sunny north—and possesses strategic resources such as lithium, which is essential for batteries and electric mobility.

In addition, European projects are already aiming to integrate Argentina into new green supply chains, climate diplomacy initiatives, and technology transfer.

Although the Green Deal poses complex challenges—from administrative reforms to potential social tensions—it also opens the door to international cooperation based on sustainability and innovation.

Will Argentina be able to position itself as a key ally in this global transition?

The window of opportunity is open.

Article originally featured in InfoClima.com