Together with other eleven EU Member States, Poland appealed to the EC to aid with full recovery of the automotive industry. On the Polish side, the letter was signed by Deputy Prime Minister Jadwiga Emilewicz.

- We shall keep in mind the importance of the automotive industry for the EU economy. In addition to strong economic indicators, the sector is also making key investments in a sustainable mobility model, which helps to transform our economy into a more sustainable system - says Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Development Jadwiga Emilewicz.

- That is why the European recovery plan should also include a dedicated programme targeted at the automotive sector with strong financial support - appropriate to the importance of this sector for the EU economy - she adds.

The automotive industry is one of the key economic sectors:

• it accounts for 7% of the European Union's GDP;
• it employs 6% of European workers;
• it generates 12% of the value of exports, bringing a surplus of over 84.4 billion euros;
• it annually invests €57.4 billion in private R&D, representing 28% of EU R&D spending.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the automotive sector has completely ceased production for two months. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the industry quickly returns to full activity - the authors of the letter postulate. It has suffered significant losses, including for its employees.

Urgent support, following an analysis of the losses resulting from the pandemic, should ensure not only a return to the situation prior to the pandemic, but also further sustainable development of the sector.

It is a leading industry and it stimulates the development of other sectors. The automotive sector ensures the maintenance of the value chain, environmental and digital compatibility and aims to produce zero-emission vehicles.

The letter to the European Commission was signed by the Ministers from 12 Member States (ES, BG, CZ, HU, IT, LV, MT, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI).