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Berlin (dpa) - The EU Commission has approved a second time in aid of billions to support battery production in Europe.
Germany and eleven other EU countries can now provide up to an additional 2.9 billion, which should also make progress in electric mobility, as the Brussels authority announced.
Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) spoke of a great success.
Europe wants to catch up in battery cell production, so far Asian corporations have dominated this area.
Due to the strong growth in electric cars, dependencies on the Far East are feared.
In December 2019, the EU competition authorities had given the green light for the billions in funding for European battery cell production.
It is hoped that the projects will boost innovation in this branch of the economy.
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Of course, the "earlier lead" of the Asian manufacturers is great and enormous, said Altmaier.
But the EU has a good chance that batteries “Made in Germany” and “Made in Europe” will become an international brand.
The US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Brandenburg can also benefit from the decision on state aid that has now been announced.
On December 10, the Federal Ministry of Economics submitted the second major European project for battery cell production to the European Commission.
Last week it was said that Tesla could start preparations for a planned battery factory near its car factory in Grünheide near Berlin.
A total of eleven companies with locations in Germany are participating in the second EU battery project, in addition to Tesla, for example, BMW, ElringKlinger and SGL Carbon.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has not yet been able to name a specific funding amount for Tesla.
"The funds must now be available quickly so that the company can plan and manufacture," said Hildegard Müller, President of the Association of the Automotive Industry.
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"With the settlement of Tesla, we will come a good deal closer to our goal of realizing around 30 percent of battery cell production worldwide in Europe," said the minister.
It was possible to move Tesla to a "groundbreaking investment".
According to EU information, projects along the entire value chain of battery production can benefit from the funding that has now been approved.
For example, research projects based on the information provided by the EU Commission should also be supported.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210126-99-178769 / 2