Good morning. Teresa Ribera, the incoming European commissioner tasked with kick-starting the EU’s moribund economy, sat down with the FT for her first interview since being appointed, and talked about how she thinks the bloc’s competition policy should evolve. Read it here.
Today, we hear more from Ribera on the EU’s proposed tariffs against Chinese electric vehicles, and our parliament correspondent reveals how the Green party got a special envoy in Ursula von der Leyen’s office.
Middle of the road
The EU’s new competitiveness tsar Teresa Ribera believes avoiding a trade war is as important as developing Europe’s car industry, as Brussels weighs up whether to slap punitive tariffs on imports of Chinese electric vehicles.
Context: Brussels has announced preliminary tariffs on Chinese car imports. It says they are needed to protect European manufacturers from being undercut by electric vehicles that are unfairly subsidised by Beijing.
Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister and Ribera’s former boss, said last week during a visit to China that his country was “reconsidering” its position on the tariffs, which will come into place unless a majority of EU capitals oppose them. Madrid had previously supported the tariffs. Germany has been lobbying member states to oppose the measures.
“The main message . . . is that it is important to avoid a clash, a trade war,” Ribera told the FT when asked about her personal views on the tariffs. She was appointed as the commission’s new executive vice-president in charge of a clean, just and competitive transition for the economy on Tuesday.
“We need to identify the best tools for how we can develop the car industry in Europe but are also effective in terms of avoiding this trade war,” she said. “This is something that is already being assessed by the commission services and the trade people.”
Ribera, arguably the second most influential person in the incoming commission after president Ursula von der Leyen, will oversee both the EU’s industrial revival and manage its green transition, as well as serving as the bloc’s antitrust chief.
“My impression is that the European car industry knows that the race is there, the technology race,” she said. “We must ensure we can count on a proper level playing field in Europe in respect of the trade rules and at the same time avoiding a clash, a conflict, a trade war with other countries.”
Chart du jour: Languishing
Northvolt’s battery factory in northern Sweden was meant to symbolise Europe’s green fightback against China and the US. Instead, the start-up is in danger of turning into an emblem of Europe’s inexorable decline.
In the room
The Greens have no European commissioner and lost seats in the European parliament after June’s elections. But they will at least have Ursula von der Leyen’s ear, as their former co-leader is being appointed an adviser to the commission president, writes Andy Bounds.
Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian who retired as an MEP this summer, will “build bridges” between von der Leyen, climate activists, farmers and business, said a senior EU official. It is also a sign that the Greens’ support for her election is not forgotten.
Context: Von der Leyen pushed through an ambitious programme to cut carbon emissions, reduce waste and boost renewable energy in her first term. But industry and the powerful farm lobby are complaining about the costs of change, leaving climate campaigners fearful she will backpedal in her second mandate.
“He’s very strong as a bridge builder. He’s also a political animal,” the official said about Lamberts. “We have this nexus of climate and biodiversity and our policy needs civil society and industry. That’s what he is going to advise on.”
Lamberts, 61, developed a friendship with von der Leyen on a 2022 trip to Taizé, a Christian retreat in southern France.
A suit-wearing former business executive, Lamberts has long complained that some Green activists have pushed climate policies without due regard to the cost for the public and companies, creating a backlash.
His job will start soon, presumably before November when von der Leyen might require Green votes again to approve her slate of commissioners.
What to watch today
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European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen visits flood-hit regions in Poland.
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Officials from Britain, Spain and the European Commission meet to discuss the future of Gibraltar.
Now read these
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