On Monday 3 March, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that she would be proposing an amendment to the regulation on CO2 standards to give car manufacturers three years to comply. Previously, the plan was for annual compliance from 2025, with penalties for non-compliance.
“It means more breathing space for industry and more clarity, and without changing the agreed targets”, she stressed. She has therefore met the demands of car manufacturers (see EUROPE 13559/32, 13585/6). According to William Todts, Executive Director of the think-tank Transport & Environment, this measure “rewards laggards and does little for Europe’s car industry except to leave it further behind China on electric vehicles”.
The President also said that it is necessary to have “a big push in software and hardware for autonomous driving”, by creating and supporting an industry alliance. Companies will be able to pool their resources and develop shared software, chips and autonomous driving technologies.
The Commission will also explore the possibility of providing direct support to EU battery producers, with the gradual introduction of requirements for cells and components, as well as administrative and regulatory simplification.
Other priority actions will be presented in the action plan on Wednesday 5 March. However, the strategic dialogue with the automotive industry will continue at a meeting before the summer holidays. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)