Europe needs an industrial fusion strategy to stay competitive in the growing global fusion race

Brussels, Belgium – As global competitors continue to make progress towards commercial fusion energy, Europe risks falling behind despite decades of leadership and development in the space. A new policy brief released today calls for the European Union to adopt an industrial strategy for fusion energy that aligns with its broader economic and geopolitical goals – including the European Commission’s push to restore competitiveness and reduce strategic dependencies.  

“Europe has the scientific expertise, R&D infrastructure, and industrial supply chains needed to lead in fusion energy,” said Sehila Gonzalez de Vicente, Global Fusion Director at Clean Air Task Force. “But its full potential is being held back by overlapping governance structures, misaligned research priorities, regulatory uncertainty, and a lack of fusion-specific public-private partnerships. It needs a streamlined strategy. The good news is that these challenges are fixable, and our report lays out a clear path for Europe to close these gaps and build a globally competitive fusion energy industry.” 

Fusion energy involves the fusing of two atoms — the same reaction that powers the stars, including the Sun — and requires extremely high temperatures. As a clean energy source, fusion power will be emissions-free, abundant, firm, and safe. In the last few years, the number of fusion energy companies worldwide has more than quadrupled, driven by record levels of private capital and major advances in enabling technologies like high-temperature super conductors and artificial intelligence. Several private developers are now putting forward credible plans to connect fusion to the power grid in the 2030s.  

While Europe still has the scientific and industrial foundation to lead in fusion energy, it risks falling behind global competitors. The U.S. is rapidly advancing a well-capitalised private fusion sector, and China is investing heavily through a coordinated, state-driven program. If Europe fails to act now, these ecosystems will gain an insurmountable lead, leaving Europe without a foothold in a future fusion-powered economy.  

Nevertheless, fusion energy remains a viable breakthrough innovation industry for Europe, but only if the EU urgently aligns its roadmap with commercial realities. CATF’s policy brief outlines a set of clear policy recommendations for building a globally competitive European fusion energy sector:  

• Shifting to a Key Enabling Technologies (KET) roadmap that supports commercially relevant R&D alongside public sector projects.  

• Empowering Fusion for Energy (F4E) to serve as Europe’s central fusion governance body.  

• Reorienting public labs and institutions to support near-term private sector commercialisation.  

• Establishing a robust public-private partnership program through F4E’s Innovation Partnership mechanism. 

• Adopting IP frameworks that favour private-sector competitiveness, ensuring that innovation translates to growth.  

• Mapping and strengthening the fusion energy supply chain to reduce strategic vulnerabilities. 

• Aligning regulatory principles at the European level to separate fusion energy from fission regulations. 

• Recognising fusion as a strategic green technology across EU policy frameworks, including the Net-Zero Industry Act and EU Green Taxonomy.  

“The window for European leadership in fusion energy remains open, but it’s narrowing quickly,” said Alejandra Muñoz Castañer, Senior Government Affairs Manager for Europe at CATF. “To seize this moment, it’s critical that the EU shifts from a purely research-driven approach to a competitiveness-driven strategy to enable commercial deployment. This is Europe’s chance to lead not only in scientific excellence, but in building a thriving fusion energy industry. The EU’s forthcoming fusion energy strategy is a crucial opportunity to act, and we look forward to working with policymakers to implement the recommendations in our report.”  

To learn more, read the full policy brief here and executive summary here.  

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