What is the Industrial Accelerator Act, and does it affect private label?
The Industrial Accelerator Act is a European Commission proposal of 4 March 2026, COM(2026) 100, and not yet law. It would add "Made in EU" and low-carbon preferences to public procurement and public support in steel, cement, aluminium, automotive and net-zero technologies. No draft we read names cosmetics, food, furniture, textiles or cleaning products.
What is the Industrial Accelerator Act?
A European Commission proposal to favour EU-made and low-carbon products when public money is spent. The Commission published it on 4 March 2026 as COM(2026) 100, procedure 2026/0068(COD). According to the European Parliament's Legislative Train, it introduces "'Made in EU' and low-carbon preferences in public procurement and public support".
The European Commission describes them as "targeted and proportionate 'Made in EU' and/or low-carbon requirements" for public procurement and public support schemes. They would apply in named industrial sectors, set out below.
Is the Industrial Accelerator Act law yet?
No. As of 13 October 2026 it is a proposal: the Parliament has not voted and the Council has no agreed position. The Legislative Train page, updated 20 September 2026, says "the vote in the joint lead committees is scheduled for December 1", with a plenary vote planned for the week of 14 December 2026, to be confirmed.
| Date | Step | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2026 | The Commission publishes the proposal, COM(2026) 100 | European Parliament |
| 9 September 2026 | The three rapporteurs of the Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and International Trade (INTA) committees publish their draft report, with 267 amendments | European Parliament |
| 9-10 September 2026 | A Council working party examines the presidency's compromise text | European Parliament |
| 24 September 2026 | EU ministers meet and remain split on scope | Borderlex |
| 7 October 2026 | Deadline for amendments in Parliament: more than 6,000 tabled. Round-table of the 27 governments on geographic scope | Agence Europe |
| November 2026 (aim) | Council negotiating mandate, with a common position of ambassadors | Agence Europe; Borderlex |
| 1 December 2026 | Vote in the joint lead committees | European Parliament |
| 3 December 2026 | Next meeting of ministers | Borderlex |
| Week of 14 December 2026, to be confirmed | Plenary vote on the Parliament's negotiating position | European Parliament |
After that, the Parliament, the Council and the Commission negotiate a final text. One industry outlet, GMK Center, gave an indicative path on 28 September 2026: a deal in the first half of 2027 and full application by 2028. That is not an official timetable. Three members of the European People's Party (EPP) in the lead committees have proposed scrapping the act (Agence Europe).
Which sectors does the act cover?
Heavy industry and clean technology. The Commission names steel, cement, aluminium, automotive and net-zero technologies, with the possibility of extending later to other energy-intensive sectors such as chemicals. The Parliament's summary gives wind turbines, solar panels, heat pumps and nuclear power plants as net-zero examples. Consumer goods are on neither list.
The Parliament's rapporteurs want more: a 50 percent threshold for "Made in Europe" and low-carbon products in strategic sectors by 2036, the maritime manufacturing industry added, and plastic for construction added to the strategic materials.
| Product group | Manufacturers listed on NordSourced | Named in the proposal or the Parliament's draft? |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetics | 75 | No |
| Food supplements | 68 | No |
| Furniture & interior | 99 | No |
| Food & beverages | 130 | No |
| Home textiles | 29 | No |
| Household & cleaning | 39 | No |
"No" means that no source we read names the group. The counts are manufacturers based in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia whose own websites say they make products for other brands. The act can still change before adoption.
What would count as "Made in Europe" under the act?
That is the open fight. The Commission's text treats content from countries with an EU free trade agreement, or in the World Trade Organization's Government Procurement Agreement, as of Union origin: about 80 countries by one estimate (Oxford Business Law Blog, August 2026). The Parliament's rapporteurs would start from the 27 member states and admit others only under strict conditions.
Partners would be added by a list and would have to meet seven conditions (European Parliament). In the Council, the presidency's compromise would replace the broad "Made in Europe" concept with a system based on trade agreements and product-specific market access.
Governments are split. Nine member states, Finland among them, favour a broader "made with Europe" approach, which the Irish presidency also supports; France wants EU-made only for public support; Hungary opposes opening the scheme to non-EU countries (Borderlex, 24 September 2026). After the round-table of 7 October, a majority reportedly preferred judging products by where they are made rather than by who owns the company (Agence Europe).
Does the act affect private label cosmetics, food, furniture or textiles?
Not in anything we found. The act would set what public buyers and public support schemes may favour in named industrial sectors. It is not a labelling rule, and no draft we read lists a consumer product. No source we read describes an effect on brands that sell private label goods to shops or online.
The British Agriculture Bureau read it the same way in March 2026: a condition for procurement and subsidies, not a label. Origin on a pack still follows Article 60 of the Union Customs Code (European Commission).
Two separate initiatives come closer to everyday goods. A Commission proposal of 9 September 2026 for a Public Procurement Act would let public buyers restrict tenders to European operators, require a minimum European content or award extra points to European offers (Euronews); whether it reaches furniture, textiles or cleaning products bought by public bodies is not confirmed. And the EU's 2026 agri-food promotion budget sets aside EUR 35 million for a "European Food Campaign" encouraging EU consumers to choose EU food (British Agriculture Bureau). A campaign is promotion, not a rule.
What does your situation decide for you?
Who you sell to. A brand selling to consumers faces no new duty from the act as proposed. A supplier to public buyers should watch the Public Procurement Act more closely than this one. And no product should be marketed as "Made in Europe" because of the act, whose definitions are still being rewritten.
| Your situation | What the act does as proposed | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| You sell private label goods to consumers, in shops or online | Nothing found | Origin claims on the pack: Union Customs Code, Article 60, and the rules on misleading practices |
| You sell furniture, textiles or cleaning products to public buyers | Not covered: these are not among its sectors | The Public Procurement Act proposal of 9 September 2026, whose scope for everyday goods is unconfirmed |
| You make steel, aluminium, cement, automotive or net-zero technology products | Preferences for EU-made or low-carbon products in public procurement and public support | The committee vote on 1 December 2026 and the Council mandate planned for November 2026 |
| You want to say "Made in Europe" in marketing | Gives no basis for it: its definitions would apply to public procurement in named sectors | Origin under the customs rules, product by product |
What each case costs you today: nothing from this act in the first two; in the third, the work of following a text that is still moving; in the fourth, a claim that rests on the act rather than on the origin rules could mislead buyers.
Where do the Baltic and Nordic governments stand?
Mostly on the cautious side. In December 2025 nine member states, Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden among them, signed a paper warning that a broad European preference risks higher prices and weaker competition (Brussels Signal, 9 September 2026). Lithuania did not sign it. Finland is also among the nine governments backing the broader "made with Europe" scope.
The other signatories were Czechia, Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia. In February 2026 Sweden's prime minister said Europe should not protect businesses "that are basically not competitive" (Brussels Signal).
Questions and answers
Is the Industrial Accelerator Act in force?
No. It is a European Commission proposal of 4 March 2026, COM(2026) 100, procedure 2026/0068(COD). As of 13 October 2026 the Parliament has not voted on it and the Council has no common position. It becomes law only when the two agree on a text, which one industry outlet expects in the first half of 2027.
When will the European Parliament vote on the Industrial Accelerator Act?
The joint lead committees vote on 1 December 2026, and a plenary vote on the Parliament's negotiating position is planned for the week of 14 December 2026, to be confirmed. The rapporteurs' draft report of 9 September 2026 had 267 amendments; by the deadline of 7 October more than 6,000 had been tabled.
Does the Industrial Accelerator Act require shops to sell European products?
No source we read says so. The act would set preferences for public procurement and public support in steel, cement, aluminium, automotive and net-zero technologies. It does not regulate what shops stock or what a pack says. A private label brand selling to retailers or online is not named in the proposal or in the Parliament's draft.
Will public buyers have to choose European furniture or textiles?
Not under this act, whose sectors do not include them. A separate Commission proposal of 9 September 2026 for a Public Procurement Act would let public buyers favour European offers in a market of about EUR 2 trillion a year. Whether it covers everyday goods such as furniture or textiles is not confirmed, and it is not law.
What does "made with Europe" mean in the negotiations?
It is the broader option for the act's origin test. It would also count partner countries, such as members of the European Economic Area, free trade partners and parties to the Government Procurement Agreement, on condition that they reciprocate. Nine member states and the Irish presidency favour it, against France's narrower "Made in EU". Reports after the round-table of 7 October 2026 said this approach appeared to be gaining ground.
Who handles the act in the European Parliament?
Three committees jointly: Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and International Trade (INTA). Their rapporteurs are Christophe Grudler (Renew), Pierre Jouvet (S&D) and Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA). They published a draft report on 9 September 2026, and the joint committee vote is scheduled for 1 December 2026.
Does the act change the customs rules on origin?
No source we read says so. The act would set its own test of what counts as "Made in EU" for public procurement and public support, and the Commission's text treats content from free trade partners and parties to the Government Procurement Agreement as of Union origin. Origin marking on products follows Article 60 of the Union Customs Code.
Why are some EU governments wary of a "Buy European" preference?
Because of price and competition. In December 2025 nine member states, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, signed a paper warning that a broad European preference risks higher prices and weaker competition. Sweden's prime minister said in February 2026 that Europe should not protect businesses "that are basically not competitive".
Do I need EU-made suppliers to sell private label cosmetics in Europe because of the Industrial Accelerator Act?
No. Cosmetics are not among the act's sectors, and the act is a proposal about public procurement and public support. Cosmetics follow their own EU product rules, set out in what a brand needs to sell cosmetics in the EU. If you want production in the EU anyway, NordSourced lists 75 cosmetics manufacturers based in the Nordics and the Baltics (the list).
Which Nordic or Baltic manufacturers would count as "Made in Europe" under the new EU industrial law?
None of NordSourced's six product groups is among the act's sectors, so the question does not arise for them under the proposal. NordSourced lists 443 manufacturers based in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Whether a product they make for you is of EU origin is a customs question, decided product by product.
Is there an EU campaign to buy European food?
Yes, as promotion rather than law. The EU's 2026 agri-food promotion budget of EUR 205 million, 55.3% more than in 2025, sets aside EUR 35 million for a "European Food Campaign" encouraging EU consumers to choose EU food, with the full launch expected in the second half of 2026, according to the British Agriculture Bureau.
Where to go next
Sources
- Industrial Accelerator Act, Legislative Train Schedule (information updated as of 20/09/2026), European Parliament. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Industrial Accelerator Act to strengthen European industry and create jobs (5 March 2026), European Commission, Public Buyers Community. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
- Non-preferential rules of origin, European Commission, Taxation and Customs Union. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- EU ministers still split on scope of 'made in Europe' preference (24 September 2026), Borderlex. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- IAA: Ireland sees significant progress towards agreement (bulletin of 8 October 2026), Agence Europe. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
- Made in Europe or made to measure? Legal fault lines of the Industrial Accelerator Act (August 2026), Oxford Business Law Blog. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
- What does the EU's Buy European food campaign and Made in EU proposal mean for UK farmers? (11 March 2026), British Agriculture Bureau. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
- Brussels procurement plan reopens EU split over European preference (9 September 2026), Brussels Signal. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
- European Commission proposes EU preference in public procurement (9 September 2026), Euronews. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
- European producers are calling for stricter Made in Europe rules (28 September 2026), GMK Center. Checked 9 Oct 2026.
Directory figures are counted from the manufacturers listed on NordSourced, each listed because its own website says it makes products for other brands; see how we check. This page is general information, not legal advice. Found a mistake? Tell us.