Peter Liese and Dennis Radtke: Important trend-setting-decision for key European industries / Support of leasing for hard-working people good for the climate and industry
“This is an important trend-setting-decision in favour of a key industry in the European Union,” with those word Peter Liese, environmental policy spokesman, and Dennis Radtke, social and employment policy spokesman for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), commented on the the European Commission’s presentation of an automotive action plan.
Among other things, the Commission announces that it will avoid penalties for the automotive industry by allowing companies that do not achieve their targets in 2025 to overcompensate for the targets in 2026 and 2027 instead. “I consider this decision to be the right one, especially given the current geopolitical situation. In a difficult economic situation, companies should not pay penalties and they should not be forced to de facto transfer money to Elon Musk through agreements with Tesla. 'No money for Musk' is even more valid now than when the discussion began in fall. At the same time, the proposal ensures that the European Union’s climate goals remain in place,” explained Liese.
The two members of the European Parliament were particularly pleased that their proposal to support leasing for the hard-working middle class was included in the action plan. Already in fall, Liese and Radtke had presented a paper in which they suggested readjusting support for climate-friendly mobility, i.e. electric cars, and, above all, keeping an eye on people who earn less than the average of the population. “We are not primarily concerned with the recipients of social transfer benefits, but rather with people who work hard and still have little savings left. These people hardly benefit from the current funding options because, for example, they cannot get a credit for a new car and have no savings. Investing in an electric car is still a risk for many people because they don't know how long the battery will last, for example. The Commission's proposal can help these people. It also helps the climate and creates completely new groups of buyers for the car industry. However, we believe that the Commission needs to be even bolder here. There should not only be support from the Social Climate Fund, which is significant at 87 billion. More important is the national revenue, which is estimated at 275 billion euros. The European Commission must also work with the European Investment Bank to enable large-scale support for people in the short term, and not just when the Social Climate Fund and ETS2 are finally introduced in 2027.”
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