The European Social Democrats just can’t help themselves. They want to block technological openness in CO2-neutral vehicle drives ‘at all costs’ – now, once again, they want to force a pure e-mobility approach through by brute force.
The FDP Saar criticizes the absurd plans of the Social Democratic faction in the European Parliament to effectively push the combustion engine out of the market through new requirements for corporate fleets. What appears as fleet regulation in the proposal is actually nothing other than an attempt to return to a combustion engine ban through the back door.
“The past weeks have once again shown how dramatic the situation of the European automotive industry already is today. Germany has been losing industrial jobs on a large scale for years. Especially in the automotive and supplier industry, tens of thousands of qualified jobs are under pressure. Anyone who wants to politically further restrict market access for proven technologies in such a situation is not acting in the interest of the employees, but against them,” states the FDP Saar.
Once again, the SPD is wavering between positions. On the one hand, it presents itself as the party of workers, on the other hand, it supports initiatives in Brussels that further weaken Europe’s industrial core by patronizing customers. Corporate vehicle fleets are one of the largest sales markets for new vehicles. Anyone who wants to politically steer this market one-sidedly influences the entire production – with direct consequences for manufacturers, suppliers, and their employees. The SPD does not want to understand that technological openness is not an ideological luxury, but the prerequisite for innovation, climate protection, and industrial value creation to succeed together. Europe needs competition of the best technologies – not political patronage.
The FDP Saar sees Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger as being responsible for ensuring a course correction within her party. FDP state chairwoman Angelika Hießerich-Peter demands: “Especially as prime minister of an industrial state, she should make clear that industrial and labor policies belong together. It must not be that individual Members of the European Parliament, purely ideologically motivated, put Europe’s competitiveness and thus the future of hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk. The SPD has enough responsible industrial politicians, so why don’t they finally speak up?”
Saarland knows what industrial transformation means. Climate protection is not achieved by suppressing technologies or by dirigiste market interventions, but only through innovation, investments, and reliable framework conditions. “Whoever wants to preserve good jobs must give companies freedom for innovation – not always new prohibitions. Europe needs an industrial policy of reason!”
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