European green-tech sectors call for continued climate leadership ambitions
Brussels, April 3, 2020 - European green-tech industries call upon the European Union and national governments to direct long-term stimulus packages following the global COVID-19 crisis towards future-proof sectors.
The European industry and research organizations RECHARGE, EASE, AVERE, Cycling Industries Europe, EMIRI and BATTERY 2030+ today published a joint statement calling upon policymakers at European and national scale to continue to demonstrate their climate leadership ambitions amid the global Covid-19 crisis.
As governments announce recovery packages to counter the abrupt economic slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, they should not lose sight of the relevance of fighting climate change and the crisis potential linked to failing to do so, they said.
“Right now, all efforts must be focused on delivering immediate help to relieve our exhausted health and social-welfare systems and to ensure that those who are at imminent risk receive the emergency help they need”, the associations said. “The long-term stimulus packages for the relaunch of our economy, however, hold an unprecedented opportunity for the European Union to foster its climate leadership ambitions and to further invest in the infrastructure of a future-ready economy”, Claude Chanson, General Manager at RECHARGE added.
Patrick Clerens, Secretary General of EASE highlighted that “investments in companies, products and services supporting climate-friendly activities will trigger the much-needed economic growth”.
Together, the associations represent the entire value chain of the advanced energy storage and electrification sectors relevant for the achievement of the EU’s climate-neutrality, industrial leadership and technological advancements targets.
“We urge policymakers and partners in the industry to hold on to their CO
2 reduction and circular economy objectives. The post-Covid period should not be the time to move backwards but to further strengthen our commitments to a sustainable and environmentally-friendly society”, they said.
Philippe Vangeel, Secretary General AVERE, said: “The Coronavirus crisis does not mean we can drop our goals for a sustainable future. We hope this current crisis will be over as soon as possible, but climate change is still going to be there and impact us. This means that we need to stay the course and develop and implement solutions that let us curb our emissions: electromobility leading to zero-emissions transport is surely one of them”.
Philippe Jacques, Managing Director at EMIRI, added: “Our governments have the unique opportunity to adopt economic recovery packages that can dramatically boost the deployment of clean and sustainable technologies for low-carbon energy and mobility solutions, too”.
For media requests:
Pia Alina Lange, RECHARGE:
alange@rechargebatteries.org
Doriana Forleo, The European Association for Storage of Energy:
d.forleo@ease-storage.eu
Jayson Dong, AVERE:
jayson@avere.org
About us
RECHARGE is the European industry association for advanced rechargeable and lithium batteries and applications. Founded in 1998, it is our mission to promote advanced rechargeable batteries as a technology that will contribute to a more empowered, sustainable and circular economy.
www.rechargebatteries.org.
The European Association for Storage of Energy (
EASE) located in Brussels, Belgium, is the leading member-supported association representing organisations active across the entire energy storage value chain. EASE supports the deployment of energy storage to support the cost-effective transition to a resilient, climate-neutral, and secure energy system. www.ease-storage.eu
AVERE (The European Association for Electromobility) is the European association that promotes electromobility and sustainable transport across Europe. It is the only European association representing and advocating for electromobility on behalf of industry, academia, and EV users at both EU and national levels. Our Members consist of associations supporting and encouraging the use of electric vehicles and electromobility across Europe. We currently have active members in 14 European countries, notably some of the most successful EV countries like Norway, France, and The Netherlands. www.avere.org
Cycling Industries Europe is a trade association representing the cycling industries in Europe. The members of
Cycling Industries Europe come from across the globe and represent the entire supply chain, from bicycle and parts makers to bike sharing, cycle logistics, online services, financial services, infrastructure, tourism and consultancy. www.cyclingindustries.com
EMIRI – the Energy Materials Industrial Research Initiative - represents about 60 organizations (industry, research, associations) active in Advanced Materials Technologies for clean and sustainable energy & mobility. Located in Brussels, the association contributes to industrial leadership of developers, producers and key users of Advanced Materials by shaping an appropriate innovation, energy and industrial policy framework at European level. www.emiri.eu
BATTERY 2030+ is the large-scale and long-term European research initiative with the vision of inventing the sustainable batteries of the future, to enable Europe to reach the goals of a climate-neutral society envisaged in the European Green Deal. www.battery2030.eu
“With its skilled workforce and its global reputation for quality and sustainability, our industry is vital for Europe and its prosperity”, said Philippe Citroën, Coordinator of the Industry4Europe Coalition. “The European Union needs an ambitious industrial strategy now to compete with other global regions that have already put industry at the very top of their political agenda. It is essential for a horizonal, coherent and focused industrial policy to support the backbone of the European economy and which protects citizens and the global environment”.
European Commission President-Elect von der Leyen has said clearly in her Political Guidelines for the upcoming mandate that she would, “put forward my plan for a future-ready economy, our new industrial strategy”. The Industry4Europe coalition welcomes this ambition and hopes that its explicit policy recommendations will find a central place in any comprehensive long-term industrial strategy that comes out of the EU institutions.
The Industry4Europe coalition therefore looks forward to working with all policymakers – notably the designated Executive Vice-Presidents Valdis Dombrovskis and Margrethe Vestager and Commissioner Thierry Breton – to discuss and implement such an ambitious and much-needed EU industrial strategy.