Shaping the upcoming EU Fusion Strategy: From research to commercialisation

EU policymakers and stakeholders explore how to advance a commercialisation-driven approach to fusion energy in Europe 

On 4 November 2025, Member of the European Parliament Susana Solís Pérez and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) co-hosted a high-level policy dialogue at the European Parliament on the future of fusion energy in Europe. 

As the European Commission prepares to publish its first EU Fusion Energy Strategy, the closed-door meeting provided an opportunity for an open and forward-looking exchange on how Europe can transition from a research-oriented model to an industrial strategy centered around accelerating commercial deployment.  Participants discussed the recommendations of Clean Air Task Force’s A Fusion Engine for Growth: A European Industrial Strategy for Fusion Energy and shared their perspectives on the policy shifts needed to support commercial deployment. 

The discussion brought together EU policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and financial institutions to align perspectives on Europe’s role in advancing this emerging clean energy field.  

Designing the Path to Commercialisation 

For decades, Europe has led the world in fusion research and development. But today, fusion is no longer just a scientific pursuit—it’s becoming a global commercial race.  Around the world, countries are realigning their funding tools and industrial policies to accelerate commercial deployment. Europe will need to do the same to stay competitive, or it will risk ceding the global leadership it has built over decades.  

As MEP Solís put it, “We must turn our research strength into industrial strength — transforming our scientific leadership into commercial success, competitiveness, and jobs.” 

Indeed, Europe already has a world-class foundation to build on. Its long-term investment in fusion research — through ITER and related R&D programmes — has created unmatched expertise, infrastructure, and supply chain capacity. The challenge now is to turn this scientific leadership into a thriving industrial sector that can drive innovation, enable technology transfer, and strengthen Europe’s energy security through clean, firm, and abundant power.  

The meeting underscored how the forthcoming EU Fusion Strategy can enable this shift from research to deployment, and Europe’s policy choices in the coming months will determine whether it leads or lags in this emerging clean energy industry. The strategy can play a pivotal role in driving competitiveness, decarbonisation, energy independence, and innovation. 

Key suggestions raised during the discussion included: 

• Recognising the deployment of fusion energy as a strategic element of Europe’s future energy autonomy. 

• Shifting toward a Key Enabling Technology–based research strategy that closes. common science and technology gaps across fusion concepts and ensures public research directly supports commercialisation pathways. 

• Establishing fit-for-purpose regulatory frameworks that clearly distinguish fusion energy from fission energy. 

• Establishing dedicated fusion energy public–private partnerships to accelerate technology maturation and large-scale deployment. 

• Adopting milestone-based principles in PPPs to de-risk public investment by tying support to demonstrated technical progress. 

• Embedding technological neutrality across harmonised and flexible EU funding instruments—particularly in the forthcoming EU budget—to ensure a level playing field for all clean energy solutions, including the diversity of different fusion designs. This includes tackling challenges in accessing funding for infrastructure utilities  

• Leveraging Europe’s fusion supply chain strengths as a result of the ITER project to support commercialisation and access global markets. 

Together, these measures can help Europe translate decades of research excellence into tangible progress toward deployment. By aligning policy, industry, and innovation, Europe can position itself not only as a leader in fusion science, but as a driving force in the global fusion economy. 

What’s Next 

 It’s clear that Europe stands at a turning point for fusion energy – one that requires coordinated action across policy, industry, and finance to turn decades of research into a commercial reality. Participants shared a strong sense of momentum and alignment around the need for strategic investment, regulatory clarity, and industrial coordination to ensure Europe’s continued leadership in this emerging field. 

There were differing views on what the EU Fusion Strategy should prioritise, and the discussion featured genuine debate and open exchange. Bringing policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, and financiers together in one room created space for honest dialogue that clarified differing perspectives, surfaced the key questions Europe must address, and highlighted shared priorities moving forward. 

The insights from this dialogue will continue to shape CATF’s work to support a European industrial strategy for fusion energy — one that turns Europe’s long-standing research excellence into commercial strength, ensuring that fusion contributes to competitiveness, innovation, decarbonisation, and energy security for decades to come.