Von der Leyen: 'Europe opens subsidy investigation into electric cars from China'
- Kris Vansanten
- Sep 13, 2023
- 2 min read
“From wind to steel, from batteries to electric vehicles — our ambition is crystal clear: the future of our clean tech industry must be made in Europe.”“Global markets are being flooded with cheaper Chinese electric vehicles, whose prices are kept artificially low by massive state subsidies.”“That’s why I can announce today that the Commission is launching an anti-subsidy investigation into electric vehicles coming from China. Europe is open to competition. But not to a race to the bottom.”
As an entrepreneur, hearing the number one of Europe say this feels like a liberation — after so many years of being ignored by the leading European political elite, due to an excessive focus on the (material) well-being of the consumer. It was written in the stars that this focus, which sacrificed our own industry in exchange for ever more production at dumping prices from autocratic regions with geopolitical ambitions — regions that refuse to abide by free market principles — would come back like a boomerang.
Over the past years, this approach has caused immense damage to the industrial fabric of Europe. Not only were numerous industrial sectors effectively forced to scale back or relocate their operations to countries like China and Russia, but in doing so, we handed over a vast amount of know-how and technological edge to these regimes. The consequences of this will be felt for decades — not only economically, but also in terms of geopolitical power balances.
With Ursula von der Leyen, a turning point appears to have begun. Europe finally seems to realize that you cannot bake sweet bread with parties seeking dominance rather than win-win outcomes — parties that hold the social democratic values of Europe in contempt.
This shift fills me with hope and optimism. If we unite behind this new direction, we can restore Europe’s rightful place on the world stage — as a respected player, guided by the unique values that define us. And with a strong, modernized industrial base we can once again be proud of — because it will not only offer renewed prospects to future generations, but also make a vital contribution to the livability of our planet, all within the social democratic ideals and freedom we hold so dear.
Automated translation (Chat GPT)
