The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, stated this Friday that the Ministry is “investing not hundreds, but billions in the transformation of production processes to undertake the electrification of the automotive sector as well.”
And not only that, but they have also indicated that they are going to prepare a joint agenda with the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) to encourage the sales of electric cars.
“The automotive sector is a strategic sector in Spain and it must undergo this transformation to continue leading the way in the coming decades, because Spain is the second largest producer in Europe,” the minister told reporters.
In this regard, he explained that this must be accompanied by incentives for the purchase and development of charging infrastructure.
Hereu has pointed out that we are in a “transition process and what we need is for everyone, the industry and also public policies, to make an effort to take this step towards greater electrification.”
He has thus expressed his confidence that this will be achieved together, although he has acknowledged that “there is still a long way to go.”
“The percentage of electric cars, not only in Spain but throughout Europe, is below what we want, but I am sure that we will make shared efforts to achieve the evolution towards the electrification of mobility in Europe, which is one of the causes that must lead us to the fight against climate change,” he concluded.
Sánchez and Hereu face to face with the new president of ANFAC
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, held their first meeting this Tuesday with the new president of the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac), Josep María Recasens.
The focus? Addressing the challenges facing the automotive sector in Spain, as well as seeking government support for the industry and promoting public-private collaboration.
At the meeting, which was also attended by the director of the Office of Economic Affairs and G-20, Manuel de la Rocha, and the general director of Anfac, José López-Tafall, the President of the Government conveyed to the president of the employers’ association “the Executive’s firm commitment to work, together with the sector’s associations, to guarantee the reindustrialisation and decarbonisation of the economy in the short and long term”.
In addition, La Moncloa wanted to detail in a statement that for the Government, decarbonizing industry and mobility is an economic and social mandate, shared with the European Union (EU).
The Executive also said that Pedro Sánchez and the new president of Anfac agreed on the desire to continue promoting public-private collaboration in the deployment of electric mobility.
In this regard, the Government has recalled that at the end of June it presented a new support package for electric and connected vehicles, which represents an additional effort to boost demand, including fiscal and economic measures and aimed at facilitating the installation of charging points, worth 626 million euros.
He also pointed out that the implementation of these new policies will increase the aid to promote electric mobility in Spain to around 2.5 billion euros.
