European Commission Vice-President responsible for Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič, speaking on Thursday 21 June, underlined the “strategic” role of batteries in Europe’s e-mobility value chain and integrating renewable energies in the EU. In his speech at the Intersolar and Electrical Energy Storage EUROPE 2018 event in Munich, he defended his action plan for the sector, established in consultation with the European Battery Alliance and unveiled on 17 May (see EUROPE 12022).
The action plan takes a proactive approach on access to critical raw materials to boost the EU’s strategic independence through: - mapping and exploration of significant unexplored potential in 13 EU countries; - facilitating access to secondary raw materials through recycling in a circular economy of batteries; - free-trade agreements securing fair and sustainable access to raw materials from resource-rich countries outside the EU, Šefčovič stated.
The plan also enhances EU research and innovation to better link it with industry’s future needs: in 2018-2019, €110 million will be made available for battery-related research and innovation projects and, in 2018-2020, close to €2.7 billion, available under the European Innovation Council for potential breakthrough projects and batteries, could be part of it, Šefčovič said.
Lastly, the action plan establishes robust regulatory requirements for safe and sustainable production that must be complied with when batteries are placed on the EU market. This should cover the entire value chain from sustainable supply of raw materials, through production to recycling. This and next year, there will be close collaboration with the European standardisation bodies in order to develop European standards – the green label – the commissioner stated. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)