T&E's reaction to Ursula von de Leyen’s election as European Commission president for a second five-year term
Ursula von de Leyen’s election as European Commission president for a second five-year term ensures the continuity of leadership necessary to turn the European Green Deal into Europe’s social and industrial deal. Transport and Environment (T&E) welcomes the confirmation to not backtrack on the Green Deal targets, as well as a focus on investment and the reinforcement of the 90% 2040 climate target, set out in her Political Guidelines.
However, T&E warns that keeping the 2035 zero emissions target for cars is critical to providing certainty for battery investments currently at risk. Backsliding by focusing on expensive and inefficient e-fuels would put investment in Europe’s EV industry and European jobs at risk. The focus should instead be on beefing up the proposed Clean Industrial Deal with a European green investment package, with enough firepower to support Europe's green tech companies, alongside a strategic, responsible trade agenda.
Julia Poliscanova, senior director for vehicles & Emobility supply chains at T&E, said: “The leadership that is responsible for the Green Deal as Europe’s growth strategy remains in place. Ursula von de Leyen’s 2024-29 roadmap asserts the EU’s commitment to its climate targets and to accelerating its competitive edge globally.
“However, opening the door to e-fuels for cars under the false flag of technology neutrality, is a major threat to investment certainty, especially with significant battery investments currently at risk. It is critical to European industry and jobs to maintain the 2035 zero emissions target for cars. Spending years designing a policy framework for niche e-fuels is a distraction from the monumental task to secure clean and competitive EV supply chains.”
T&E’s key recommendations for 2024 - 2029:
Keeping the 2035 zero emissions target for cars is paramount to the investment certainty in Europe with so much battery investment coming under risk.
An EU social and climate investment plan to trigger €1 trillion from 2025 to 2034 into the green industry transition and a socially just transition, aligned with a new 90% 2040 climate target ambition
Enshrine a new EU climate target of at least 90% in 2040 into law well ahead of COP30 to signal global advancement on climate ambition.
Introduce a fleet mandate, requiring large car and van fleets to purchase 100% ZEV by 2030, and large truck fleets to renew their fleet with ZEVs by 2040.
Tax the profits of fossil fuel suppliers with a permanent windfall tax, extend the ETS to cover more planes and ships, and steer revenues back into the transition to net zero.
Bring forward the start of the Social Climate Fund to support low-cost EV leasing programmes across EU countries (as done in France), and use the Innovation Fund to support ‘Made in Europe’ affordable and clean EV and battery manufacturing.
Call for a proposal to monitor and reduce the impacts of aviation’s non CO2 emissions.
Set up home-grown sustainable RFNBOs supply chains for ships and aviation for large-scale deployment and use of green hydrogen-based fuels.
