MEPs debate and vote on their negotiating position for talks with EU member states on new rules for the EU’s alternative fuels infrastructure. They want electric charging pools for cars to be available at least every 60 km along main EU roads by 2026 and hydrogen refuelling stations every 100 km by 2028. Recharging stations must be accessible to all, regardless of the brand of the vehicle. Extracts from the debate (17/10) and from the vote, statement by Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur.

statement

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

vote

emissions of vehicles (T)

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

VĂLEAN, Adina-Ioana (EPP, RO)

ERTUG, Ismail (S&D, DE)

ROPĖ, Bronis (Greens/EFA, LT)

NAGTEGAAL, Caroline (Renew, NL)

TAX, Vera (S&D, NL)

BLOSS, Michael (Greens/EFA, DE)

European Green Deal (T)

Fit for 55 (T)

Deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure: extracts from the debate (17/10) and from the vote, statement by Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur

Title: Deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure: extracts from the debate (17/10) and from the vote, statement by Ismail ERTUG (S&amp;D, DE), Rapporteur (I-231796)

SOUNDBITE (English), Adina VĂLEAN, European Commissioner for Transport, To accelerate the uptake of sustainable alternative fuels and particularly zero emission vehicles. We must also ensure that a sufficient network of publicly accessible recharging and refuelling points is available across the EU, and this regulation provides certainty to light and heavy duty vehicles that they can easily recharge and refuel.

SOUNDBITE (English), Adina VĂLEAN, European Commissioner for Transport, Deployment of infrastructure should largely be market driven. We are setting mandatory deployment targets to ensure that a sufficient network of electric recharging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is deployed across the EU.

SOUNDBITE (English), Adina VĂLEAN, European Commissioner for Transport, Member States will have to ensure this competition between operators of recharging points will be key to have best services and prices for consumers. We agree on the need to ensure that users have full access to relevant data, transparent price information and easy payment methods.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian), Bronis ROPĖ, REGI Committee opinion, The promotion of alternative fuels and electricity infrastructure projects is essential. It is true that no region or territory of the EU can be left behind. At present, the deployment of public charging infrastructure for electric light duty vehicles is uneven across the Union, and this is a big problem.

SOUNDBITE (Lithuanian), Bronis ROPĖ, REGI Committee opinion, Europe will be as weak in this area as any member state or remote region of the union is weak in its achievements. And no matter how many people live in a given place until an electric car can be charged on any journey, we will not be able to pursue each consumers to abandon their polluting mode of travel.

SOUNDBITE (German), Michael BLOSS, ITRE Committee opinion, Traffic is currently responsible for about one third of the greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. This must and will change. It's now possible it will soon be possible to travel with an electric car from Sweden to Bulgaria. Recharging batteries will be easier than filling it with petrol instead of all sorts of problems. Bond with subscriptions and card payment, which are everywhere with your cards.

SOUNDBITE (German), Michael BLOSS, ITRE Committee opinion, Ladies and gentlemen, let's ensure that the people of Europe can see this promise come true. The car industry has been betting on one horse, which is electric cars. Let's do the same. Green hydrogen is necessary for steel producers to produce low carbon steel. And it is very expensive in Europe. Let's not pump champagne into tanks.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Vera TAX (S&D, NL), Every year, 400,000 people in the European Union die an early death because of air pollution. I'm very proud of the fact that this law has actually improved the commission's initial proposal. It's made it more ambitious. That was my task as a negotiator.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Vera TAX (S&D, NL), In other words, to speed up the reduction of CO2 emissions and to have a binding role for so-called zero emission fuels so as to ensure that fuel producers can start producing them already. We have to ensure that these concerns disappear, not just for car drivers, but also for our waterways and our airports, which need good infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Vera TAX (S&D, NL), Obviously, we face a challenge. Limits to power grid problems when it comes to payments. This is why, as far as my party is concerned, Member States must start immediately strengthening the power grid. We have to work on smart technology, smart charging, for example.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We move next to the report by Mr. Ertug on deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. We vote on the Commission proposal by a roll call. The vote is open. Vote is closed and it is adopted.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, I ask you, as the responsible rapporteur, to refer back the dossier to the TRAN Committee for the Institutional Negotiations. Thank you very much.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, We vote on the referral back. Who is in favour, who is against to abstain and it is adopted. And the report is referred back to the Committee for Interinstitutional Negotiations.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, We have to decarbonise our mobility sector and the decarbonisation is not possible without the new technologies which is e-mobility or hydrogen technology and so on. And for this, you always need infrastructure.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, And we with this legislation try to deploy this kind of infrastructure for all the member states. And we also put some minimum coverage in it, for example, 3% until 2027 or even 5% on the 2030. What we want to achieve is that all the people like us can drive the electric mobility without having any question marks in their brain.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, With this legislation, we will create a European access point where all the data will be come together and will be used by the different companies, by the different charge operating companies.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, We have also the heavy duty vehicles inside that we have also put into this regulation higher power output requirements also for the trucks. We have included the rail sector. We will also give the rail sector the opportunity to use Electromobility and in particular to use, where electromobility is not possible, the hydrogen technology.

SOUNDBITE (English), Ismail ERTUG (S&D, DE), Rapporteur, We have also given some requirements for the charging infrastructure there. We have also included aircrafts, for example. Aircraft and ships, both needs some onshore power supply.