The interdisciplinary report “H2 Reality Check – Reappraising the EU's H2 Strategy in a New Era of Geopolitical Disruptions” by the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the University of Bonn and the Institute of Energy Economics (EWI) at the University of Cologne examined the technical, economic, and geopolitical aspects of developing the hydrogen market with regard to the EU's decarbonization targets for 2030. Based on current studies, the report highlights the current status of the hydrogen ramp-up and existing challenges. The results of the report have now been summarized in an EU Policy Brief.
Research found concrete indications that the ambitious EU plans and targets for 2030 for green hydrogen have become largely unrealistic in view of high costs, ongoing technological challenges, and geopolitical uncertainties. As key recommendations for action, the brief calls for a pragmatic realignment of the EU strategy with a focus on industrial priorities and cost efficiency. This includes increasing the expansion of green hydrogen production within the EU and reducing imports through diversification, preferably from Scandinavian countries such as Norway. In addition, the EU should critically assess its dependencies on China and strengthen its strategic autonomy in order to remain crisis-proof and competitive.