EU, France and Germany discuss energy innovation cooperation

European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier, and French Economic Affairs and Finance Minister Bruno Lemaire met in Paris on 2 May to discuss cooperation in energy innovation.

According to the European Commission, France and Germany announced bilateral cooperation on an industrial project in the field of energy innovation. The announcement follows the third meeting of the European Battery Alliance (EBA), which took place earlier this week in Brussels.

Šefčovič hailed the leadership role of France and Germany in creating a strategic network for batteries.

The European battery industry has been identified as a strategic value chain for the EU in the context of a strengthened industrial policy strategy. Batteries are a key enabling technology and will be essential for the automotive industry of the 21st century, the Commission said, adding that they will play an important role in the decarbonisation of the European mobility sector and the transition towards a low carbon economy. Therefore European-produced batteries will become a key driver for the EU’s industrial competitiveness.

Šefčovič reminded that is setting up a platform that should create an additional flow of €70 billion into EU-based projects.”