EUROBAT presents its “Election Manifesto 2019-2024”, an overview of industry key asks and recommendations for the next legislative term
On February 19th, 110 representatives from European and Member States policy-makers, EUROBAT members, EU associations, NGOs, media, vehicle manufacturers, part suppliers and other stakeholders, attended in Brussels an event organised by EUROBAT, the Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers.
In its “Election Manifesto”, the Association looks ahead towards the next European Parliament and Commission term and debated the policy needs of the European battery industry to keep contributing to jobs, growth and innovation in Europe.
EUROBAT President, Johann-Friedrich Dempwolff kicked-off the evening event, presenting the three policy core areas and recommendations to policy makers.
“If we want help achieving the policy makers’ ambitious goals in terms of decarbonisation while at the same time boosting European battery manufacturing, future regulations must take into account three conditions: Firstly, all battery technologies need to be considered – no single technology will be able to answer all future energy storage demands. Secondly, Europe must take the lead in sustainable battery design and production. And last but not least, establishing a clear regulatory frame work with no overlaps and contradictions between the different pieces of legislation."
The first key note speech of the evening came from Gerassimos Thomas, Deputy Director-General of DG Energy from the European Commission. He elaborated on the role of batteries in the transition of energy: “If we are to meet our 2050 CO2 emission targets, we need to able to store 10x more renewable energy than we do today and batteries - including all technologies - will play a key role in this process.”
MEP Ertug (S&D) delivered the second keynote speech, giving the view of the European Parliament on the topic: “We need a smart policy framework, ensuring at the same time clean mobility, prosperity, jobs and a healthy and competitive Europe.”
The second part of the evening event focused during a panel discussion on legislative measures, needed to boost the EU battery industry. Apart of the two keynote speakers, also EUROBAT Board Member Marc Zoellner and Julia Poliscanova from Transport&Environment, assessed the current status.
During its conclusive remarks, EUROBAT Executive-Director Rene Schroeder summarised the debate as follows: “Batteries are at the heart of decarbonisation and the coming years do look bright for us! We call upon all stakeholders to help and shape the industry and the future of Europe. We must become a leader in safe and sustainable batteries.”
Download the Election Manifesto Brochure and 2-page summary.