EU Competition Council
The main objective of the Competitiveness Council meeting on Tuesday was to prepare a new European Competitiveness Pact, which is one of the main priorities of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.
This was stated by Economics Minister Martin Nagy at a press conference on Tuesday in Budapest. The heads of the economic cabinets of the EU member states took part in the two-day meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council, chaired by the minister. The main topics of the meeting on Tuesday were the acceleration of electromobility by 2035, AI and European competitiveness in general.
The Hungarian government will publish an 11-point competitiveness package today, Wednesday, to address the EU’s problems, with a focus on e-mobility and digital technologies. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán plans to present the draft of the New European Competitiveness Pact to the European Council in the autumn.
Eleven concrete recommendations
The government’s eleven specific recommendations include subsidies for the purchase of electric cars, a uniform regulatory environment for manufacturers and the development of a standardized European charging network. The specific aim of the subsidies is to harmonize them between member states, as the system is currently very inconsistent between EU countries. While in France, for example, consumers receive state subsidies alongside car manufacturers, in Germany sales of electric cars have declined since the purchase premium expired.
Maastricht as a hindrance
Nagy believes that the transition to e-mobility needs to be accelerated and that a common European strategy and roadmap are required, which is complicated by the wide variety of public support schemes across Europe and the limited financial space of member states due to the return to the strict Maastricht budget rules. As for the source of funding for state aid, the cohesion funds might be used. On the issue of temporary punitive tariffs on Chinese electric car imports, the Economy Minister said that the Hungarian government does not support protectionist, market-restricting measures.
Visiting MOL
The EU Competitiveness Council met on Monday followingnoon with the ministers and state secretaries of the member states responsible for competitiveness at the headquarters of the MOL Group in Budapest. Here, the participants called for an environment favorable for industrial development. MOL presented its strategy areas for sustainability in an interactive exhibition. The company set up a lithium laboratory for the event, and its experts explained the potential of geothermal energy, carbon capture and storage. CEO Zsolt Hernádi called on decision-makers in industry and politics to work together to be competitive. Instead of over-regulation, the EU leadership should develop a predictable and realistic vision for the future.
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