Exclusive interview with Maroš Šefčovič about made-in-Europe electric vehicles and the competition with China

Just recently, the European Commission launched an investigation into cheap Chinese electric vehicles ‘flooding’ our market. This is just one of the challenges that Europe is facing in its transition towards electric mobility and reducing CO2 emissions. On 17 November, the KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (SIM²) will be releasing a 52-minute documentary entitled “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle” (Euractiv interview with Jones about this documentary can be viewed here). The documentary investigates the challenges faced by Europe as it attempts to set up its own, fully integrated, mine-to-EV value chain. The film acts as a wake-up call to avoid that Europe’s decarbonisation strategy leads to a nightmarish de-industrialisation. Instead, the documentary shows that Europe’s transition to climate neutrality can go hand in hand with a cleantech-based re-industrialisation. Made-in-Europe.

Roadtrip in the Nordic countries

The film’s presenter, Peter Tom Jones, undertakes a road trip in the Nordic countries, starting at the iconic Aitik and Kiruna mines in the North of Sweden, after which he visits key locations in South Finland in search of best practices in responsible refining, battery production and EV assembly. As well as descending 1,400 m underground and interviewing company leaders & experts, Jones engages with a key spokesperson from the indigenous, reindeer-herding Sami people in their homeland of Sapmi, before going on to meet with local citizens in the Arctic town of Kiruna.

The view from Brussels

Given his leading role in the European Green Deal, the European Battery Alliance and the Critical Raw Materials Act, Jones also sat down with the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič in his 12th-floor office in the Berlaymont building in Brussels. This resulted in a deep-dive, exclusive 35-minute interview with the man that many believe is the one “who can move the needle” for Europe. Some of Šefčovič’s answers are integrated in the documentary “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle”. However, the full, 35-minute interview is now also released as a standalone video vodcast, covering key topics such as:

✅ Responsible mining in Europe, NIMBY, finance, permitting and the concept of “strategic projects”;

✅ Responsible refining, “fair metals” and how to create a level playing field;

✅ The role of the European Battery Alliance in attracting investments in new gigafactories and the cut-throat competition with Asia and US;

✅ The future of the (EV) car industry in Europe and how to deal with the (upcoming) tsunami of cheap, heavily-subsidised Chinese electric vehicles;

✅ European policies such as CRMA and NZIA, while not avoiding the elephant in the room: the alleged lack of dedicated financial instruments.

In the near future SIM² will also be releasing similar vodcasts with Jan Moström (CEO LKAB & President Euromines) and with Stefan Mikaelsson (Sami Parliament), who also feature in the master documentary “Made in Europe: from mine to electric vehicle”. Stay tuned!