Von der Leyen meets Scholz ahead of her US visit

(EurActiv, 6 Mar 2023) EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday (5 March) she is determined to counter challenges from US subsidies for green technologies and to speed a currently blocked law on phasing out combustion engines from 2035.

Visiting Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the German cabinet at the start of a two-day meeting near Berlin, von der Leyen said the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) would bring huge tax breaks for clean technologies made in the United States.

“We have discussed our answers: negotiations with the US about interpreting the law, investments of our own, and speedier processes,” she told reporters at Meseberg near Berlin.

Von der Leyen will discuss the divisive IRA with President Joe Biden in Washington on 10 March.

European electric carmakers had been given access to US tax advantages but the EU needed to ensure they also benefited in the batteries and battery component segments, where more talks were needed with Washington, she said.

European legislative action within a fortnight would propose to unleash European aid and funds so far not used for the green transition at home, she said.

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EurActiv, 6 Mar 2023: Von der Leyen meets Scholz ahead of her US visit