EC Vice-President in charge of the Energy Union, Maroš Šefcovic has hosted the third meeting at Ministerial level of the European Battery Alliance.
The objective is to bring together the support of the Commission, the EIB and invited Member States to cross-border manufacturing projects along the battery value chain.
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Participants discussed issues such as sustainable production and processing of raw materials, the use of financial instruments, State aid and Important Projects of Common Interest, matching projects and investors through investment platform and prompting a new approach to industrial policy.
“Our goal is to see European champions take the lead in the global arena,” said Šefcovic. “Batteries [are] a key sector for the future of mobility and decarbonisation of our economy.
“Moreover, I am convinced the EU Battery Alliance can serve as a test-bed for our future industrial policy. [The] meeting is about showcasing what we can achieve jointly with Member States and the European Investment Bank, to mobilise our political forces behind innovative and competitive industrial value chains.
Commissioner in charge of competition, Margrethe Vestager, also attended the meeting and added: “Our State aid rules support innovation and sustainability, which are key challenges also for batteries.
“We have put in place special State aid rules for Important Projects of Common European Interest to facilitate cooperation between several Member States and companies to jointly design and implement risky and ground-breaking research and innovation projects, whilst ensuring their benefits are shared widely and do not distort the level playing field in Europe.
“In December, we approved EUR1.75bn (US$2bn) in State aid, which unlocked significant private funding for an important project in the microelectronics sector. We are now working closely with Member States and companies to help make their plans for such projects in the field of batteries a reality.”
Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, as well as the European Investment Bank, also took part in the meeting.
