On Friday 9 January, the European Commission presented to the EU Member States’ representatives (Coreper) the package of measures aimed at granting flexibilities to the automotive sector. They welcomed it, but expressed a number of reservations.
Published in mid-December (see EUROPE 13774/13), this package was received as “a Christmas present”, according to a European source contacted by Agence Europe. According to this source, there was no exchange of views as such, but Coreper members shared their impressions before technical work starts in the ‘environment’ working group on Tuesday 13 January.
“Nobody questioned electrification; on the contrary”, the source was pleased to say. And to add: “The measures were generally well received, but not everything is necessarily beneficial”.
While the Commission took the trouble to “dwell somewhat on European preference“, the Czech representative expressed concerns about repercussions on the automotive value chain. His Hungarian and Italian colleagues also expressed reservations, but did not challenge it head-on. The question then becomes deciding on what exactly European preference will refer to.
“This package provides the necessary flexibility for European sovereignty and competitiveness, but in the end, we’ll have to ensure overall coherence and balance”, concluded the source. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)