L’AQUILA – Contribute to the open debate within the EU on the automotive transition.
The Alliance of European Automotive Regions met in Brussels, which includes 36 territorial entities, of which 9 are Italian: Basilicata, Abruzzo, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Molise, Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto.
In the framework of the regulation that will put an end to the sale of internal combustion, diesel and petrol engines from 2035, the European Commission has undertaken to evaluate progress towards the zero emissions target for cars by the end of 2025, taking into consideration the need to any additional measures to facilitate a just transition, including through new financial instruments.
Brussels’ reflection will also start from the Alliance established within the framework of the European Committee of the Regions.
An alliance which includes the territories that “represent a third of European GDP”, as recalled by the Lombardy Region Councilor for Economic Development, Guido Guidesi, present at the meeting.
The hope that unites Italy from North to South “is to include in the work” of the next legislature “the principle of technological neutrality which will allow us zero impact mobility with a plurality of solutions”. Without looking only at electric.
“We must not force the industry towards a single solution, but we must leave industrial and scientific research free to identify all the useful solutions, which are multiple”, declared the president of the Abruzzo Region on the sidelines, Marco Marsilio, rapporteur of an opinion on the just transition for the European Committee of the Regions, in reference to “biofuels, synthetic fuels, hydrogen”. All “fuels that can help overcome fossil fuels”.
The regional councilor for Productive Activities, Tiziana Magnacca, added: “We are all aware of the difficulties and uncertainties linked to the moment of transition that the entire automotive sector has been experiencing for some time. A situation conditioned by the decisions of the giant Stellantis, the only vehicle manufacturer left in Italy. We are even more aware of the difficulties that the suspension and/or decrease in production directly impacts on wages and therefore on the spending power of working families to the full detriment of the local economy”.
“The Abruzzo Region, and specifically the Department of Labor Policies, is in constant contact with the employers and with the trade unions so that every useful measure can be made available to manage this difficult moment in a situation of limbo between internal combustion engine and electric. An ecological and digital transition which cannot be ignored and which unquestionably causes repercussions on production levels and consequently concerns on the employment front”.
“As the Department of Productive Activities we feel the weight of responsibility towards Abruzzo families and we are committed to ensuring that there are the best conditions in terms of opportunities to allow companies to remain in Abruzzo with the usual production volumes to attract new investments. President Marsilio’s commitment and presence can be easily quantified. There is no doubt that the Abruzzo Region has a proactive role in building European policies that take into account the needs of the territories and our most important industrial sectors. All this is proof of the activity of a commitment that cannot fail to pass through a sensitive and updated review of some European mechanisms which must take place through dialogue and continuous discussion”.
“Abruzzo at the center of Europe with an eye on the automotive sector and its related activities: we are personally involved in this,” concluded Magnacca.
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