The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, puts into practice her promises to "open" the Commission to technological neutrality for the green transition of the automotive sector, urging the Dutch Climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra, to ensure a key role for e-fuels. At the same time, it gives a clear mandate to our compatriot, Apostolos Tzitzikosta, as Commissioner for Sustainable Transport, to draw up an industrial action plan for the EU for the sector of automotive industry.
In particular, Ursula von der Leyen confirms the openness to "technological neutrality" to address decarbonisation and, in particular, the ecological transition of the car. The President of the European Commission sent a letter to all new Commissioners outlining the objectives of the EU's highest executive body for the coming years and, above all, outlining the "missions" of each member.
One of the letters is addressed to the commissioner who will have the most contact with manufacturers, Wopke Hoekstra, who is responsible for climate action and therefore for many of the objectives of the Green Deal. An excerpt of the document explicitly mentions cars and commercial vehicles, and that von der Leyen recommends that the Dutch politician "ensure a technology-neutral approach", as well as a "key role" for the e-fuels being promoted by Germany. Biofuels, which the Italian government has always supported, are not even mentioned. At this point, it is safe to assume that Brussels has put them on the back burner, supporting the Teutonic line even in their plans for the future.
The objective
"For cars, climate neutrality by 2035 raises concerns for investors and manufacturers," the Commission chief wrote to Hoekstra, referring to the ban on sales of cars with internal combustion engines. "You should ensure a technology-neutral approach in which synthetic fuels have a key role, through an amendment to the planned regulation on CO2 emission standards for cars and commercial vehicles as part of the planned review."
Of course, von der Leyen also sent "task letters" to all the other commissioners, and a quick overview of the texts reveals repeated calls for technological neutrality in other economic sectors as well, as well as for industrial policies focusing on, for example, clean technologies or the circular economy to achieve decarbonisation targets.
The message to Tzitzikosta
However, the car appears in only one more message, this one to Apostolos Tzitzikosta, responsible for sustainable transport and tourism. To the Greek representative, von der Leyen calls for the development, as proposed in Mario Draghi's recent report on EU competitiveness, of "an EU industrial action plan for the automotive sector". The four-wheeler world is not even mentioned in the letters to Teresa Ribera, who will be in charge of the delegation for a "clean, fair and competitive transition" and therefore for the Green Deal, to Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water and the Circular Economy, and to Dan Jørgensen, responsible for Energy. In essence, it seems that for the next five years, Hoekstra will be the contact person for manufacturers in the EU's highest executive body.
