stop on diesel and petrol, the agreement on the car does not change. Yes to a fund for the transition – Corriere.it

«The transition to electric cars will lead to the destruction of hundreds of thousands of jobs along the entire supply chain, around 600,000 across the EU. The automotive sector provides 12.7 million direct and indirect jobs in Europe, equal to 6.6% of total EU employment ». The Commissioner for the Internal Market and Industry Thierry Breton has no illusions, defining the transition to the electric car as the greatest industrial transformation that the EU must face, taking into account the tight deadlines, from now to the stop in 2035 to the sale in the Union of new diesel and petrol cars, after the agreement reached last week by the negotiators of the Council and the EU Parliament. “I have never worried about manufacturers’ ability to accelerate electrification. My concerns have always been addressed to people: consumers and workers, “he explains in an interview with a small group of European media including the Courier.

Industry Minister Urso said that “there is room for action” against the decision to block the sale of new diesel and petrol cars from 2035. What are they?

«Last week the decision was taken all together, the EU Council and Parliament, and it will have to be applied. However, there is the 2026 revision clause on CO2 standards for cars and vans. Now we need to monitor progress. In order to have the time, if necessary, to adjust the trajectories and consider other technological options. That is why I want to set up a group, made up of the entire automotive ecosystem – industry, trade unions, consumers, electricity producers – to take stock of the progress made. We need to be very vigilant given the current economic environment. The group will meet every three months ».

What aspects will you focus on?

“On how we will produce the 150 GW of electrical capacity needed by 2050; on public charging points, we will need 6.8 million by 2030 and today we only have 350,000, 70% of which in France, Germany and the Netherlands; on raw materials for batteries; on the jobs to be reconverted and on the accessibility of electric cars, which remain unattainable for most Europeans ”.

Have you provided additional funds to help the automotive transition?

“We need to mobilize all possible support. For coal-dependent regions, the Just transition fund. But there is no equivalent for the mobility ecosystem. And there are regions like the area around Turin in Italy or others in Germany that will feel a strong impact. Not only do we not have a dedicated budget, but we don’t even have the facility or the government to share good practices and facilitate the exchange of knowledge between the regions directly concerned. This is why I believe that a new fund is needed to support a just transition in the automotive sector, to be considered by 2026 ”.

Given the high prices of energy and raw materials, will the Euro 7 standards you present next week be less stringent than estimated a year and a half ago?

“I cannot anticipate what will be decided next week. Despite the ban on the sale of internal combustion vehicles by 2035, there will still be at least 20% of combustion engine cars on the roads by 2050. And there is a risk that the 2035 target will have to slip. Furthermore, trucks are not yet subject to the new CO2 standards and electric vehicles will also continue to pollute, especially tires and brakes even from electric cars, which are much heavier due to batteries. This is why on November 9th I will propose Euro 7, to significantly tighten the regulations on polluting emissions from motor vehicles and improve air quality. Furthermore, combustion engines will be used by the rest of the world for a long time to come. I invite European producers to guarantee investments in this technology, to help improve air quality and mitigate climate change also in third countries ».

The US is promoting green technologies. How does the EU react?

“The effects are already being felt, with several companies starting to divert significant parts of the European value chain to the United States, including the automotive and battery industries. Europe has already put in place several tools to incentivize European industrial value chains. In the last two years, the EIB has signed investments of 1.6 billion in support of pilot projects for electric vehicles and batteries. As part of the RRF (Next Generation Eu, ed), 19 billion are destined only for the automotive sector and mobility. The alliance on batteries gives tangible results. We are also working on the law on critical raw materials, which we will present in the first quarter of 2023. We are building a Made in Europe industry ».

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