National Economy Minister Márton Nagy has discussed the transition to electric vehicles and related matters with German car industry executives over the past two days. He met Audi chief executive Gernot Dollner, BMW board member Frank Weber, and Mercedes vice president Eckart von Klaeden.
Ahead of Hungary’s turn at the EU rotating presidency, the pair discussed the competitiveness of the German and European automotive industries, especially regarding the electric vehicle industry and the transition to electric vehicles, and agreed that electric cars would be an inextricable part of Europe’s future. Cooperation between Hungary and the German automotive industry played a decisive role in this, the statement said. Nagy stressed the need for an action plan to speed up the adoption of electric cars and fulfil the 2035 green transition, covering the whole of Europe. Related infrastructure such as a long-distance, fast and hassle-free continental network must be developed with EU and private investments, they agreed. The officials also discussed reforming the regulatory environment to ensure more fast charging points along the trans-European transport (TEN-T) network installed every 50 kilometres. Another goal would be to locate fast charging points at many petrol stations on the continent, the statement added. They also agreed on the need for an EU incentive scheme for car purchases aimed at both manufacturers and customers, and this would require changing rules on state support. In addition, Nagy advocated providing support for the trade of used electric cars by developing new standards. A draft of the action plan will be presented to EU member states as a white paper at the meeting of the Competitiveness Council on July 8-9 under the Hungarian EU presidency, the statement said.