The European Commission has opened a formal industry consultation as part of its planned 2026 revision of the European Hydrogen Strategy, inviting producers, developers, technology companies, and end users to inform a reassessment of the EU’s ambitious hydrogen targets. The consultation, launched in Q2 2026, comes as the Commission acknowledges that the original 2030 targets — including 10 million tonnes of domestic green hydrogen production and 10 million tonnes of imports — face significant headwinds from slower-than-expected demand creation and project financing challenges.
Industry response to the consultation is expected to be substantial, with trade associations, electrolyser manufacturers, and major hydrogen developers all signalling their intention to submit detailed positions. Key areas under review include the structure of demand-side support mechanisms, the certification framework for imported green hydrogen, and the interaction between hydrogen targets and broader industrial decarbonisation policy under the EU Green Deal.
The revision process is being watched closely by hydrogen-producing nations targeting European export markets. Countries including the UAE, Oman, Morocco, and Australia have all structured significant portions of their hydrogen investment strategies around anticipated European import demand. Any material downward revision to EU targets — or recalibration of the timeline — would have direct implications for the commercial viability of export-oriented projects currently at feasibility or early development stage.
Despite near-term uncertainty over targets, the strategic direction of EU hydrogen policy remains unambiguous: green hydrogen will play a central role in European industrial decarbonisation. The consultation process is designed to ensure that revised targets are grounded in market reality, providing a more reliable signal for long-term investment — including in the distributed and off-grid hydrogen systems that serve end users across Europe and its trading partners.
