Volkswagen and Stellantis CEOs call for the creation of a "strong and sustainable" European automotive industry
The joint Tribune of Volkswagen and Stellantis looks less like an industry appeal than a strategic warning to European Union politicians, Les Echos reports. Behind the language of climate goals and competitiveness lies a stark message: Europe is entering an era when industrial might, trade policy, and technological sovereignty are once again becoming tools of geopolitics.
The two CEOs argue that the automotive industry, which still accounts for 8% of EU GDP and provides 13 million jobs, cannot be considered as another market subject to global price competition, especially when imports operate under less stringent social and regulatory constraints and supply chains are increasingly being used as weapons. from rare earth cells to batteries. Their focus on batteries crystallizes the contradiction underlying Europe's transition: building an internal value chain is vital to sovereignty, but the pressures of accessibility are forcing manufacturers to turn to cheaper imports.
Therefore, the proposed "made in Europe" strategy is formulated not as protectionism, but as conditional openness — equal rules for all, targeted use of public funds and reasonable incentives enshrined in the regulation of CO₂ emissions. By linking local production to regulatory advantages rather than general prohibitions, company executives identify a pragmatic middle way between industrial retreat and simple free trade. In the end, their comments force Europe to face a binary choice that it has long avoided: embrace deindustrialization disguised as openness, or actively defend its industrial base while maintaining market competitiveness.