The difficult situation of the automotive industry is worrying the European Commission. The situation in the industry is “not rosy” and there is no point in sugarcoating it, said the outgoing Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton to the “Handelsblatt”. There is great nervousness, which is evident in the current developments in the German automotive industry. The French Commissioner is referring to comprehensive savings plans announced by the Volkswagen Group. “The announcements of factory closures worry me greatly,” stressed Breton. The aim must be to “preserve and maintain our know-how, our innovative strength and our competitiveness.” Breton attributes the crisis to the fact that European manufacturers are not succeeding in convincing their customers of electromobility.
Whether the switch to electromobility in Europe will be a success depends crucially on the expansion of the charging infrastructure. Breton sees significant deficits here. “Public charging stations are still heavily concentrated in Germany, France and the Netherlands, which account for almost two-thirds of the public charging stations installed in the EU,” he explained.
In view of the crisis at VW, high-ranking politicians in the traffic light coalition are demanding more help from Brussels. “Ursula von der Leyen must quickly present an ambitious industrial strategy that strengthens European competitiveness in international comparison. Europe must be able to keep up with international developments and Ms. von der Leyen must now take the lead in this,” SPD leader Lars Klingbeil told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung.”
The FDP also believes the Commission has a duty. “The reason for this crisis is the absurd European policy, which is putting countless obstacles in the way of car manufacturers,” said FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr. The best way the state can help VW is to ensure that fleet regulation is abolished. This leads to insane bureaucracy, but does not save a single gram of CO2. The FDP will campaign for this at the European level.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240909-930-227108/1
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