EPP local and regional leaders are committed to make Europe achieve the green transition through tangible projects but have insisted that this should not put at risk jobs in the automotive industry. During a debate on 'Innovative Europe with strong regions' held as part of the EPP Political Assembly, EPP-CoR members stressed the need to have citizens on board in decisions taken.
Manfred Weber, EPP President and Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament said "The automotive sector is the biggest employer in Europe, it affects the livelihood of millions of people and it should not be left alone dealing with the consequences of the green and digital transition in road transport. There is a strong need to ensure that key EPP values such as maintaining jobs are embedded in this transition process."
Olgierd Geblewicz, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions and President of West Pomerania Region (Poland) said "Regions are vital for the green transition to be achieved. In my region we have captalised on the geographic characteristics and climate to rebuild our economy embracing the green transition. Generation of alternative energy and infrastructure such as wind turbines has helped to have cleaner and cheaper energy, create new jobs as well as generate revenue for infrastructural projects."
Sven Schulze, State Minister for Economic Affairs and President of the CDU Sachsen-Anhalt, Member of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions said "Leading Europe into a successful future only works if we have the people in Europe's regions behind us. We have to approach the ongoing innovation process with an open mind to technology. This transition must be technically feasible."
Schulze, who is the CoR Rapporteur on 'A Just and Sustainable Transition for Automotive Regions' and who himself worked in the past in the automotive industry said "Citizens are worried because the industry and their jobs can be put at risk by political/ideological decisions." He said that the green transition had to take into account the thousands of jobs in the automotive sector.
Thomas Schmidt, Minister for Regional Development, Free State of Saxony and Member of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions "The automotive industry throughout Europe is facing a huge transformation process – affecting manufacturers, suppliers and the service sector alike, because the EU's ambitious climate targets with the 'Fit for 55' package also require a significant contribution from the transport sector. This structural change is already in full swing and is affecting the regions first and foremost. 34 automotive regions have joined forces in the Automotive Regions Alliance to accompany the change. The Alliance is calling for two things in particular: We need a regional impact assessment that shows the concrete effects on the regions. And we call for a European mechanism, comparable to the Just Transition Fund, that specifically supports the affected regions in making the transition fair and equitable. We will bring this regional aspect into the negotiations for the next MFF starting in 2028."
Emil Boc, Mayor of Cluj-Napoca and Chair of the CoR COTER Commission said that for every job lost in the automotive industry, 10 jobs can be lost in the supply chain. He stressed "We need a just transition mechanism for the automotive industry, just like for the coal industry to ensure our competitiveness and to protect jobs in the car industry." Boc also spoke on infrastructure including charging stations saying that all regions must have such infrastructure.
Chairing the debate was Vice-President of the EPP and Vice-President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament Siegfried Mureșan. He said "We need stronger regions, stronger cities and stronger rural areas to improve competitiveness. The EPP is a party that supports competitiveness, local economies and farmers. This is vital because Europe is a space of freedom of movement, people, goods, services and capital."
Regional diversity vital to boost innovation in Europe
During an earlier debate on 'Powering Europe's Future with innovation', Mariya Gabriel, Vice-President of the EPP, Commissioner for Innovation lauded EPP regions developing regional innovation valleys specialising in specific industrial sectors facilitating the free movement of talent, capital, and first customers between regions.
The EPP also adopted a resolution 'Powering Europe’s future with innovation' underlining that innovation in Europe must captialise on the diversity of regions. The resolution also called for more synergy among EU funds and for local authorities to use their convening power to bring all innovation actors together.