and operate those industries. As they are all im­pacted by policy decisions, they should have a say in the decisions that will be made. They also all bring their own expertise and contextual knowl­edge to the discussion, which can in return help policymakers to shape these policies. An effective multilevel governance approach can be supported with the EU’s existing practice of engaging stake­holders throughout the policy-making process. This would ensure comprehensive input and transparen­cy, supporting effective and inclusive governance. At regional and national level, public and target­ed stakeholder consultations and stakeholder di­alogues including labour and trade unions, busi­ness representatives, civil society and the public could be held to inform national priorities for in­dustrial strategies. Member States would then communicate these priorities to the Commission to feed into the pan-EU strategy. To achieve this, the competitiveness task force would integrate the national priorities into this pan-EU strategy, which would take into account the different ­r­egional and national strengths 26 and priorities. Then the Committee of the Regions(CoR) could assess the regional perspective of the strategy at EU level, and the European Economic and Social Committee(EESC) could issue an opinion to as­sess how participatory the process has been. The CoR represents the EU’s local and regional authorities, ensuring their voices are heard and advising on EU regulation that will affect them. 27 The CoR could then issue a negotiated opinion for the Commission to review, one that reflects the views of the regions across Europe. The EESC is composed of appointed members representing workers, employers and civil society across all EU Member States. It provides a plat­form for them to represent their points of view on EU issues and policies. 28 The EESC is men­tioned in the EU Treaties as a body that should act in an advisory capacity to assist the three EU institutions. 29 As the EESC represents these three types of interest groups across all 27 Member States 30 , this is a well-established platform that can assist such multilevel governance for a pan­EU industrial strategy. Like the CoR, the EESC could then issue a negotiated opinion, to ensure that EU-level coordination represents the view of these different types of stakeholders. Conditionalities Conditionalities are an effective tool to align the industrial policies that the CCT will initiate with the various objectives it pursues. Conditionalities refer to requirements or criteria(e. g. reducing emissions or paying fair wages) that recipients of EU support(e. g. funding, state aid or regula­tory benefits) must meet in order to access or ­retain that support. Setting these requirements and criteria in line with the overarching objec­tives that the CCT aims to coordinate ensures consistent alignment between EU objectives and Member State actions. For example, industrial sectors that are supported to promote strategic autonomy(e. g. steel production) could be re­quired to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This would allow the pursuit of two CCT policy objec­tives(in this case, strategic autonomy and de­carbonisation) at the same time. To maximise the effectiveness of conditionalities, they can be designed in a“progress-dependent” way. 31 This means tying funding disbursement to 26  Bertram, L., Hafele, J., Kiecker, S.,& Korinek, L.(2024). A unified industrial strategy for the EU: Industrial policy recommendation to promote decarbonisation, competitiveness and cohesion in Europe(p. 27). The Foundation for European Progressive Studies. https://feps-europe.eu/wp-­content/uploads/2024/12/A-unified-industrial-strategy-for-the-EU.pdf. 27  European Committee of the Regions.(n.d.). Our work. Retrieved on November 27, 2025, from https://cor.europa.eu/en/our-work. 28  European Economic and Social Committee.(n.d.). About. Retrieved on November 27, 2025, from https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/about. 29  Official Journal of the European Union.(2012, October 26). Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union(C 326/13). https://eur-lex. europa.eu/resource.html?uri=cellar:2bf140bf-a3f8-4ab2-b506-fd71826e6da6.0023.02/DOC_1&format=PDF. 30  With 329 members, appointed for 5-year terms. 31  Hafele, J., Schneider, J., Schiefeling, M.,& Hofmann, L.(2025). Progress Over Promises- Rethinking direct public support through a progress-­dependent conditionalities regime. ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies: Cologne. https://zoe-institut.de/en/publication/progress-over-promises/. 12 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V.