C 194/82
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
12.5.2022
1.3.
The EESC stresses that fleet limits provide a very powerful and efficient impetus for technological change in the industry.
In line with its previous opinion (2), the EESC notes that, despite all of the benefits, the ‘tailpipe’ approach has to be complemented by other policy instruments.
The Fit for 55 Package must ensure a life-cycle approach and avoid road transport electrification leading to a shift of emissions upstream in the value chain.
1.4.
The EESC strongly reaffirms that individual mobility must remain accessible and affordable for all, especially for commuters without access to quality public transport or other mobility solutions (3).
1.5.
The automotive sector is of strategic importance for the European economy.
Car manufacturing (assembly and suppliers) employs 2,6 million workers and generates 900 000 jobs in supplying industries, which together represent 11,6 % of EU manufacturing employment.
1.6.
With the dramatic acceleration of the decarbonisation pace that the Fit for 55 package will entail, mainly in the automotive industry, additional resources — for example, in an extended Just Transition Fund (JTF) — will be needed to cope with the social consequences of emission-reduction measures in regions dependent on automotive supply chains.
1.7.
The EESC reaffirms its call for an evaluation to include the state of play regarding the qualification and (re)training of staff, as well as an updated analysis of the areas in which (additional) action is required in order to further improve the skills and qualifications of employees in the automotive industry for the structural transition (4).
The EESC reiterates that these aspects should be included in the proposed governance and monitoring provisions.
1.8.
The EESC is concerned that unless the charging infrastructure needed to support the transition is in place, the reduction targets will be hard to achieve.
Charging infrastructure has to be rolled out where people live, work and do their daily activities.
1.9.
Renewable and low-carbon fuels, as well as e-fuels, might have a certain role to play in decarbonising road transport, especially for the existing fleet and for hard-to-electrify parts, but robust sustainability standards must be applied.
2.
Context of the proposal 2.1.
The European Green Deal Communication (5) launched a new growth strategy for the EU that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy.
It reaffirms the Commission’s ambition to increase its climate targets and make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.
2.2.
This objective is set out in the Communication ‘A Clean Planet for all — A European strategic long-term vision for a prosperous, modern, competitive and climate-neutral economy’ (6).
2.3.
Based on a comprehensive impact assessment, the Commission’s Communication on Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition (7) proposed to raise the EU’s ambition and put forward a comprehensive plan to increase the European Union’s binding target for 2030 to at least 55 % net emission reduction, in a responsible way.
The 2030 target is in line with the Paris Agreement objective to keep the global temperature increase to well below 2 oC and to pursue efforts to keep it to 1,5 oC.
The European Council endorsed the new EU binding target for 2030 at its meeting of December 2020 (8).
In order to deliver this increased level of ambition for 2030, the Commission has reviewed the climate and energy legislation currently in place, which is expected only to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 % by 2030 and by 60 % by 2050.
(2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
OJ C 227, 28.6.2018, p. 52.
EESC opinion on The EU mobility strategy and EU industrial value chains: automotive eco-systems approach (own-initiative opinion), point 1.3 (OJ C 105, 4.3.2022, p. 26).
OJ C 227, 28.6.2018, p. 52, points 1.6 and 4.13.
COM(2019) 640 final.
COM(2018) 773 final.
COM(2020) 562 final.
European Council Conclusions 10-11 December 2020 EUCO 22/20 CO EUR 17 CONCL 8.