EU's company car fleet plans under fire by Toscani: 'Saarland should not serve as a testing ground'
The European Commission has announced plans to mandate that corporate fleets, including rental and company vehicles, become 100% electric by 2030, with an intermediate target of 75% of new vehicle acquisitions being electric from 2027 onward. This policy, part of the European Green Deal, aims to significantly reduce transport emissions and accelerate the green transition.
The move is expected to increase demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and related infrastructure, stimulating market growth, including the second-hand EV segment. The Commission also supports measures to facilitate fleet electrification, such as simplifying grid connections, lowering electricity costs, increasing renewable energy share, and expanding public charging infrastructure.
However, the impact on the Saarland economy, a region heavily dependent on the automotive sector, is a cause for concern. Stephan Toscani, the CDU state parliament faction chairman in Saarbrücken, has criticized the EU Commission's plans, stating they could be existentially threatening for further plant locations in Saarland.
Toscani warns against "ideologically motivated bans" that could pose challenges to central industries and potentially harm climate protection without actually benefiting it. He advocates for a "realistic, technology-open approach" to replace the EU Commission's plans. He believes the EU Commission's plan would endanger further jobs along the automotive value chain in Saarland and could make the region a testing ground for centralist EU guidelines.
The electrification mandate could spur demand for EV production, battery supply chains, and charging infrastructure within the region, creating economic opportunities in manufacturing, supply chain localization, EV maintenance, and infrastructure development. However, uncertainties in the European battery production sector, with some major European battery initiatives facing setbacks, could affect local supply chain stability.
Toscani appeals to Berlin to enforce the principle of technology openness at the European level, recalling the technology openness anchored in the coalition agreement of the federal government. He expresses concern that Saarland could become a testing ground for centralist EU guidelines and reiterates that the principle of technology openness must also apply at the EU level.
In summary, the EU Commission’s plan to make rental and corporate fleets fully electric by 2030 is a major regulatory shift aimed at decarbonizing transport and expanding EV markets. For Saarland, this could translate into economic opportunities in EV supply, infrastructure, and maintenance sectors, though the full impact depends on how quickly related industries in the region can scale and adapt to the evolving EU and global EV market dynamics. The region's leaders, like Toscani, are urging caution and a technology-open approach to ensure a smooth transition for the Saarland economy.
[1] European Commission. (2021). Fit for 55: A European climate law for 2030. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/strategies/2050_en [2] European Commission. (2021). European Green Deal. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en [3] European Commission. (2021). Alternative fuels infrastructure. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/transport/strategy/alternative-fuels-infrastructure_en [4] European Commission. (2021). Battery Alliance. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/single-market-platform/electric-vehicles/battery-alliance_en
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