The European Committee of the Regions has today adopted an urgent resolution on "strengthening the territorial dimension in the implementation of the Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector". The initiative from the ECR Group was a reaction to the European Commission's publication of the Action Plan for the automotive industry, described as "insufficient to address the crisis in the sector", by President Marco Marsilio. 

As part of the Action Plan, the review of the CO₂ emission performance standards regulation for cars and vans will be carried out already in 2025, instead of 2026, which has been a key call of our political Group. President Marsilio welcomes the announcement by the European Commission of the targeted amendment to the regulation that will postpone the fines for automakers, and also urges the Commission to "take a more gradual approach with full technology neutrality as a core principle".

The urgent resolution underlines how international competition as well as geopolitical and trade-related challenges faced by the European automotive industry are putting pressure on the EU to find alternative solutions to the electric vehicles obsession that has led us to the unsustainable situation we are in right now. "E-fuels, biofuels are some of the alternatives we must explore, and that the automotive industry is demanding us to consider", said President Marsilio. 

Following the adoption of this resolution comes a renewed sense of urgency to act and implement decisions quickly. An approach based on a Just Transition is what all European regions are demanding of the EU legislators with common sense and pragmatism to avoid more factory closures and big layoffs. This is the approach the ECR Group stands firmly behind.