European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, together with Industry Ministers Peter Altmaier (Germany), Agnès Pannier-Runacher (France) and Stefano Patuanelli (Italy) confirmed that a second important project of common European interest (IPCEI) was imminent in the field of batteries during the Battery Alliance videoconference on Tuesday 24 November.
Indeed, under the aegis of Germany, a second IPCEI has been notified and is being analysed within the European Commission for possible approval by the end of the year. This new project, with 12 Member States and 50 companies, would be larger than the project led by France and approved in December 2019 (7 Member States, 17 companies – see EUROPE 12384/17). For example, Mr Šefčovič hopes to achieve “green and sustainable” battery production that would cover 6-8 million cars by 2025.
“We are making history”, the Commission Vice-President welcomed, saying that with the IPCEIs, the EU had “found the right recipe” for an industrial policy adapted to the challenges of the 21st century. Speakers recalled that the EU has spent three times as much as China in the last 3 years: the Alliance has attracted €60 billion of investment in 2019 alone.
For his part, Mr Altmaier stressed the need to remain open to external players, citing Asian partners in particular, while developing strategic approaches to investment in Europe.
The French Minister for Industry, for her part, insisted that a system for classifying batteries according to their carbon footprint be quickly put in place and that the least efficient batteries be excluded in the field by 2024. She hoped to see IPCEIs in other areas, citing the cloud, artificial intelligence, 5G, and hydrogen. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)