ISTANBUL

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday vowed that the EU will look into direct support for European electric vehicle battery manufacturers to make the supply chain more robust and resilient, particularly in terms of batteries.

"We need the European supply chain to be more robust and resilient, particularly when it comes to batteries, and we face a challenge because, while our own production is expanding, we see that imported batteries are less expensive," von der Leyen said at a press conference following a meeting on the future of the European automotive industry in Brussels.

"We cannot allow electric vehicle batteries to become more expensive, but we also cannot afford to create new reliances. So, we will look into direct support for our battery producers, as well as gradually introducing European content requirements for battery cells and components. We will also continue to cut red tape and simplify regulations," she added.

Stating that Europe needs a major breakthrough in software and hardware for autonomous driving, the president of the European Commission explained that there is global competition in this field and that they need to move quickly.

Von der Leyen said that they will establish an “industry alliance” where various companies will pool their resources on autonomous driving and provide support.

"We will also help launch large-scale pilots for autonomous driving because the goal is very simple: we have to get autonomous vehicles on Europe’s roads faster," she said.

Explaining that the transition to clean mobility was also discussed at the meeting, she said, “The automobile sector has a clear demand for more flexibility on carbon targets.”

Von der Leyen stated that it is necessary to be balanced and that the first entrants in the field need predictability, which means adhering to the agreed targets.

Reminding that there are penalties in carbon, especially related to the 2025 targets and non-compliance, von der Leyen said, “To address this in a balanced way, this month I will propose a focused amendment to the CO2 Standards Regulation."

"Instead of annual compliance, companies will be given three years to meet the targets. While the target remains the same and they have to fulfill the target, it means more breathing space for the industry.”