At its fourth annual political conference in Munich, on Wednesday 10 September, the Automotive Regions Alliance (ARA) called for targeted investment by the European Union to ensure a just transition to climate neutrality in the automotive sector.
Bringing together 38 vehicle-producing regions, the ARA adopted a ‘Munich Declaration’ (https://aeur.eu/f/icx ) reaffirming its support for the European objective of phasing out internal combustion engines by 2035, but insisting on a technology-neutral approach including electrification, hydrogen, synthetic fuels and biofuels (see EUROPE 13661/16).
Regional leaders stressed that the green and digital transition requires massive investment in infrastructure, innovation and skills, as well as greater support for SMEs.
They called for the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (2028-2034) to include an explicit territorial dimension, warning that regional value chains are already being undermined by trade tensions and global competition.
While welcoming the Commission’s Industrial Action Plan and the launch of a ‘European Autonomous Driving Alliance’, the regions expressed concern at the lack of territorial focus in European policies and the exclusion of ARA from the Strategic Dialogue on the future of industry.
The representatives called for closer cooperation with local authorities on the deployment of charging points, the funding of gigafactories and battery recycling.
Kata Tüttő, President of the European Committee of the Regions, acknowledged how “difficult it is for the European automotive sector to continue its transition as the tariff war, and the worsening of the international scenario are triggering further instability and disruptions”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)