Lhe European Union and the United States are ready to reconcile their points of view on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), an American plan focused in particular on the energy transition but decried by other countries and regions for massively subsidizing it .
US President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed in Washington on Friday that they wanted to “negotiate immediately for an agreement on essential raw materials” for the energy transition, such as for car batteries, for example. . They made this known in a joint statement.
Such an agreement would make it possible for electric cars produced in Europe to benefit from the same advantages as those produced in the USA.
The countries of the Old Continent are worried about the subsidies included in the Inflation Reduction Act, the major American climate plan which provides for 370 billion dollars of investments in favor of the fight against climate change. It is feared that the subsidies and tax advantages generate a distortion of competition.
Joe Biden, who does not intend to change his program much, nevertheless promised the European leader to “work to avoid zero-sum competition, so that our public aid policies support the development of clean energies and employment without becoming boons for private interests”, according to their joint press release.
Before the bilateral meeting began, Joe Biden recalled having promised his interlocutor a “new era” in the transatlantic relationship, hard-hit by his predecessor Donald Trump, and praised their unity in the face of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russia.
“I would like to thank you for your leading role” in reaching an agreement with the United Kingdom on the delicate question of the Northern Irish border after Brexit, said the 80-year-old Democrat, who follows this subject. closely.
