EU needs to speed up battery work, says Commission

Despite good progress being made, the EU needs to “hurry up” if it is to compete globally in the crucial high-tech industry of battery manufacturing, the European Commission has said.

In a statement on 12 October, the Commission hailed the progress of its industry-focused European Battery Alliance, which coordinates battery research and investment. The first pilot battery production facilities are being built as part of the project just one year after it started, the Commission said.

But Elżbieta Bieńkowska, commissioner for the internal market, said that more must be done. “If Europe wants to lead and compete with other big industrial players around the world, we need to hurry up,” she said.