Closing the Transition Capex Gap

From Planning Question to Balance Sheet Reality

A European industrial CFO has faced the same board question three times this year: how will the company fund its transition capex. Retained earnings cannot absorb it, bank debt will not price it, and private equity will not wait. Europe’s public funding architecture, three layers and four instrument types, was built to close exactly that gap:

On a well-structured project, it covers 30 to 50% of eligible investment, turning a €20 million to €200 million capex requirement from a stalling point into a financed programme. This paper sets out how the architecture works, stacks it against a live Netherlands-Germany example, and hands finance, technology, sustainability, and innovation leads a 90-day starting point.