Lombardy presents the new renewable fuels manifesto in Brussels

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Renewable fuels as the way forward to combine environmental transition and safeguarding the automotive sector. The Lombardy Region is continuing its battle to protect the automotive sector and the components supply chain, companies and jobs, pushing for environmentally sustainable alternatives in addition to the electric motor. It does so by promoting the new 'Manifesto Renewable Fuels for the Mobility Production Chains in Lombardy', signed by the main stakeholders and trade associations and presented in Brussels, in the European Parliament building, by the regional councillor for Economic Development and president of the Automotive Regions Alliance (Ara), Guido Guidesi. It is a political and scientific document in support of 'technological neutrality', i.e. the need to explore all the possibilities offered by science to develop and disseminate a plurality of low-emission drives, in addition to the electric one, so that the Lombardy and European industry in general, based on the endothermic engine, can remain competitive on the global scenario. It is worth remembering that, in Lombardy alone, the automotive sector is worth more than 30 thousand companies and 100 thousand workers, with a total turnover of EUR 40 billion.

"The European Union must correct the serious mistakes that have mainly benefited the Chinese competitors; a paradoxical situation that, without corrective measures, would cause the 'greatest economic suicide in history'; just consider that currently 75% of the potential production in Europe is at a standstill. The openings announced by Ursula von der Leyen in recent weeks must immediately be transformed into concrete corrective measures,' Guidesi said. The crisis in the continental automotive industry is leading to the risk of closure for several plants in the components supply chain: in Italy, the number of cars produced in 2024 was 20% lower than in 2019, with peaks of 30% for component manufacturers, and the outlook for 2025 remains negative. 'The EU needs to leave room for manoeuvre with respect to the ways in which environmental objectives can be achieved: focusing on renewable fuels means pursuing a common-sense ecological transition that can combine the achievement of environmental objectives with the protection of the sector,' added Guidesi, who is committed to protecting the sector at both European and Italian level.

In detailing the new 'Renewable Fuels Manifesto', the councillor together with stakeholders presented in Brussels an evolution of the document formulated in 2022, updating and enriching it also from a scientific point of view, thanks to the support of international academic and technical experts; the Lombardy Mobility Cluster in fact signed last November, together with Fkfs-Forschungsinstitut für Kraftfahrwesen und Fahrzeugmotoren Stuttgart, Institute for Automotive Engineering (Ifs) of the University of Stuttgart and Politecnico di Milano - Department of Energy a Letter Of Intent (Loi) in which possible lines of research and innovation are indicated for increasing the quantity and reducing the costs of alternative fuels, and enhancing their use in new-generation high-efficiency thermal engines, also hypothesising the opening of a research and technology transfer centre in Lombardy. The Manifesto's proposals include recognising the contribution of biofuels in the process of decarbonising transport, giving equal dignity and support to all tractions, reviewing the application of penalties to vehicle manufacturers with respect to emission targets, and introducing a 'carbon correction factor' to account for the emission savings of vehicles using renewable fuels, implement a European energy strategy that reduces costs and increases the availability of renewable energy, objectively assess the economic and social impacts on businesses, people and territories of the current regulatory framework to realistically consider the adaptation timeframe of the entire industry.

The Manifesto was signed by the members of the 'Lombardy Fuel Table' that Guidesi wanted to convene in Brussels for the first time, namely: Lombardy Mobility Cluster, Lombardy Aerospace Cluster, National Transport Cluster, Anfia - National Association of the Automotive Industry Supply Chain, Confindustria Lombardy, Confindustria Energia, Eni, Unem - Unione Energie per la Mobilità, Assopetroli-Assoenergia, Federchimica-Assogasliquidi, Federmetano, Assogasmetano, Federmotorizzazione, Italian Federation of road fuel management plants. "We must avert economic suicide and make the EU review certain choices with the aim of protecting competitiveness and employment in Europe. Before it is too late,' Guidesi concluded.