Green and fair economic transformation, the Fit for 55 package and its impact on industry, in particular on the automotive sector - these were the main topics of talks between the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Piotr Nowak, and the EU Commissioners during his visit to Brussels on Wednesday.

The Minister of Economic Development and Technology met in Brussels with the Vice-Presidents of the European Commission - Maroš Šefčovič and Frans Timmermans - and with the Commissioner for Budget and Administration - Johannes Hahn.

Fit for 55 package and its impact on industrial development

Minister Nowak's talks with representatives of the European Commission mainly concerned the challenges for the competitiveness of the European industry posed by the decarbonisation process and the EU climate and energy policy. The visit to Brussels was an opportunity to discuss the Polish position on the Fit for 55 package proposal and is a step towards deepening the dialogue on this issue.

The green transformation must be fair and should not worsen economic conditions in the Member States," the head of the Ministry of Development and Technology said during the meeting with Vice-President Frans Timmermans. The Polish minister stressed that in order to define the objectives of the green transformation, the point of reference should be the real opportunities of the poorest, and not the richest, EU member states.

The Fit for 55 package envisages that the cars introduced by the automotive concerns on the EU market will reduce carbon dioxide emissions in relation to the standards in force in 2021 by 55% in 2030, and by 100% in 2035. In this way, all new cars sold in the EU from 2035 would be zero-emission.

In this context, Minister Nowak pointed out that the cessation of production of new combustion cars from 2035 could result in negative consequences for less wealthy countries, as it risks an influx of used and high-emission cars.

Battery investments in Poland

Another important theme of Minister Piotr Nowak's talks with the European Commission was the development of innovative technologies that support the building of a low-emission economy.

We launched a battery competition using the IPCEI mechanism, through which we actively join European initiatives for the development of industrial areas with the greatest potential

- said the minister.

Poland, using the IPCEI mechanism (Important Projects of Common European Interests) has been supporting a project dedicated to improving lithium-ion battery recycling technologies since 2021. They allow the recovery of scarce metals of strategic importance from used batteries. The results of the project will make it possible to recycle 10,000 tonnes of waste lithium-ion batteries and catalytic converters annually.

Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič very positively assessed the battery investments in Poland. In his opinion, such projects improve innovation in the economy. Thanks to investments such as those in Poland, the competences of employees in regions sensitive to the effects of economic transformation will increase. There will also be new jobs and business opportunities connected with the innovative electric battery industry. This also contributes to reducing the dependence of local communities on the coal-based economy.

During the meetings with Šefčovič and Timmermans, Minister Nowak stressed that our country positively assesses the proposal to include nuclear energy and natural gas in the EU taxonomy. This means the recognition of nuclear energy and gas as sustainable energy sources, which will, among other things, translate into stable perspectives for investment in the development of these energy sources.  

The talks also touched upon the CBAM mechanism (carbon tariffs on high-emission products imported by the EU) and its impact on the competitiveness of the European economy. The head of the development and technology ministry pointed out that the application of the CBAM mechanism should not be an alternative to the measures currently in force to limit carbon leakage outside the EU under the EU ETS, i.e. the allocation of free allowances and compensation to cover indirect costs of emissions.