European battery strategy in the making with the new mobility package

Eurobat, the Association of European Automotive and Industrial Battery Manufacturers, particularly welcomes the strong focus on battery manufacturing in the 'Europe on the Move' package released on 31 May.
Tim Reckmann, pixelio.de

Batteries will be a fundamental cornerstone of the transition to a decarbonized economy in several sectors, from energy storage and grid stability to warehouse and port logistics, telecommunication and all modes of transport. The production of all different battery technologies in Europe will be paramount for the competitiveness of these different EU industrial sectors. In particular in the mobility sector, batteries are already delivering important fuel and CO2 emissions savings with the European innovation of start-stop systems, while advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles have the potential to revolutionise the entire concept of mobility.
According to Eurobat the recognition of batteries as a key enabling technology is of course welcome, but the European battery industry has to face a particularly fierce international competition. Other states and regions are investing heavily in the development of advanced battery technologies, but it will be important for Europe to avoid losing ground compared to international competitors to enable the future of its battery sector and enjoy the benefits in terms of competitiveness, jobs, growth and innovation.
In line with the Eurobat proposal of a 2030 EU Battery Strategy, launched in February 2017, the Commission is now planning to “support industry-led initiatives for a full battery value chain in the EU that can be used for mobility and non-mobility applications (energy storage)”. As mentioned in our strategy, it will be fundamental that any initiative in this field will take into account the existing landscape of European battery manufacturing, the strength and weaknesses of the European battery value chain related to all battery technologies as well as the overall sustainability of batteries. A forward-looking strategy able to ensure policy coherence across different policy fields, also respecting the concepts of better regulation and circular economy, is an absolute necessity. For this reason, Eurobat strongly welcomes the present initiative of the European Commission and is ready to cooperate with the European Commission, Member States and other policy-makers and stakeholders to define the building blocks of this 2030 EU Battery Strategy.

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