The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) has launched the Automotive Regions Alliance – a political network of regions engaged for the successful transition of the European automotive and supply industry. The Alliance aims to bring in the regional perspective into the ongoing debates on decarbonisation of EU transport while securing jobs, competitiveness and ensuring economic and social cohesion in every European territory impacted by the transition.
Adrian Teban, Mayor of Cugir City, Alba County said "Make no mistake, mobility is on its way towards sustainability, but both people and businesses must experience a just and fair transition. At this point we should not waste any more time and focus on rolling out charging infrastructure. Also, we must start to responsibly source material for batteries and develop this market."
Thomas Schmidt, the Chair of the CoR's interregional group "Future of the Automotive Industry" (CORAI) and Minister for Regional Development, Free State of Saxony said "The automotive industry is one of the core industrial sectors for many European regions. The European automotive ecosystem represents 1.8 million companies with at least 16 million employees. Saxony joins the Automotive Regions Alliance because we want to ensure that the regional perspective is also taken into account in the upcoming structural change with the goal of a climate-neutral automotive industry. We therefore advocate the establishment of a European mechanism and fund for a fair transition of the automotive regions.”
Alin-Adrian Nica, President of Timiş County Council said that it is essential to launch a dialogue and introduce policy measures that accompany workers to upskill or compensate and allow them to move to alternative jobs in a dignified manner. "This transition, while driven by climate targets and economic competition, must be balanced with adequate social policies. I fully support the commitment to working hard towards fulfilling the climate targets, but in a just and fair manner, so that no region is left behind!”
Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs (North Rhine-Westphalia) said “The European automotive and supplier industry and the regions concerned are facing the major challenge of combining the green transformation and industrial prospects for the future. I therefore welcome the fact that the European regions with a strong automotive and supplier industry have formed an alliance today. Decisions on the green transition are made at EU level. This is where we as regions have to get involved with our demands.”
Alliance wants to push forward innovation
Christopher Drexler, Member of the State Government of Styria said "For us traditional automotive regions in Europe, it is crucial to share our rich experience to successfully shape the process of green transformation. By founding the Automotive Regions Alliance, the CoR is sending out a strong signal for cooperation between the automotive regions. In doing so, our goal is to create a just and fair transition. Research, innovation and technological openness are essential on this path. With our alliance, we want to push this further.
Alberto Cirio, President of the Piedmont Region said "Work is ongoing for engines to be compatible with alternative forms of energy. But this is a process that takes time, which is why we speak of a "green transition'. Safeguarding the environment is essential, but so is the need to save jobs."
Background
The European Union's goal of reducing emissions in the EU by at least 55% by 2030 includes the EU Commission's regulation to reduce CO2 emission standards for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. A recent proposal by the EU Parliament to ban cars with combustion engines at EU level from 2035 onwards, adopted on 8 June 2022, will result even more in changes in the European automotive and supplier industry. The goal of the Automotive Regions Alliance therefore is to ensure that the transition in the automotive sector is fair and successful leaving no region behind while fully supporting the EU's climate goals.
The CoR's legislative work on the issue, with the opinion "Towards zero emission road transport: Deploying alternative fuels infrastructure and strengthening CO2 emission performance standards" of rapporteur Adrian Teban, adopted in the CoR plenary session in January 2022, has not questioned the need to decarbonize road transport, but has called for this change not to happen without budgetary and political support measures at the European level that involves all actors in the automotive ecosystem. All key positions and demands of the CoR opinion have been included in the above mentioned proposal of the European Parliament. The Automotive Regions Alliance will aim to continue this work towards a just transition mechanism.