Batteries are crucial for the transition to a sustainable economic model, both at the industrial level, but also for households and transport. However, around 80% of batteries in the world are produced in Asia.
Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament support the European Commission’s plan to stimulate public and private cooperation for the development of a sustainable battery manufacturing in Europe. This is the only way to ensure a competitive industry for the future and also the key to job creation in the industrial and transport sectors.
This is why S&D MEPs Ismail Ertug and Pavel Poc organised a conference on Wednesday, October 17, in the context of the parliamentary working group for batteries, launched by the Intergroup on “Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development”.
“For a sustainable mobility and industry we need ambitious CO2-targets for vehicles, a European battery-cell production and a comprehensive network for alternative fuels. Only if this three elements go hand in hand we can combine the goals of sustainability and prosperity, for a cleaner environment and a more competitive economy that preserves and creates jobs – this is the vision of a Social Democratic industrial policy of the 21th century,” said Ismail Ertug, S&D spokesperson on transport and Chair of the Friends of the battery working group.
“Effective and affordable batteries are the ultimate condition for the transition to clean energy systems. The 21st century will be all about an effective energy storage, electro-mobility and other clean energy systems. I take it as a great opportunity for the European business to take back the battery market, estimated at 250 billion euros per year by 2025 and European Parliament is ready to help. We have formed a cross-party Energy Storage Working Group within the official parliamentary Intergroup for Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable just for this. It is not only about electro-mobiles, but also storage systems for factories, households and ships. I am pleased by the recent development within the European Battery Alliance (EBA), the collaboration is the key here,” said Pavel Poc, Chair of the parliamentary intergroup on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development.
Other speakers in the conference were Maroš Šefčovič, vice-president of the European Commission for Energy Union, responsible for the Energy Union and the initiator of the European Battery Alliance; Victor Trapp, from Fraunhofer Institute; Patrick de Metz, chairman of RECHARGE, and Julia Poliscanova, manager of Clean Vehicles and Air Quality, Transport and Environment.
