Lombardy wins the presidency of the Automotive Regions Alliance

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The future of mobility cannot only be electric but must also involve renewable fuels, hence endothermic and hydrogen engines. In a word, or rather two words, 'technological neutrality'. The Lombardy Region is convinced of this and has been awarded the presidency of the Alliance of European Automotive Regions for 2025. These 36 regions are committed to facilitating the transition of the automotive industry and its allied industries while protecting companies and jobs.

During the annual conference of the Automotive Regions Alliance (Ara), held on 29 November at the Monza circuit, the Lombardy Region's Councillor for Economic Development, Guido Guidesi, was elected president of the Ara and will take office on 1 January 2025. A presidency that is also an acknowledgement for the path started two years ago when Guidesi, together with the Lombardy system, decided to start a battle to safeguard a strategic sector for Europe's competitiveness, such as the automotive one, which counts on a supply chain of about 100 thousand workers, 30 thousand companies with a turnover of more than 40 billion euros.

The car industry in Europe is in crisis. Volkswagen will close three plants in Germany, Stellantis sold 33.9% fewer cars in Italy in September than in the same month of 2023. Also in September, 121,666 cars were registered in Italy, a drop of 10.7% compared to September 2023. Electric cars cost more and in Europe they suffer from competition from China, which has meanwhile developed world leadership in battery-powered vehicles. Not to mention that in some parts of the country one also has to deal with the lack of an adequate network of recharging stations for electric vehicles. To think that electric mobility, as the European Commission has done so far, can be the only alternative puts the future of the automotive industry at risk.

The new declaration on climate targets was signed in Monza, reaffirming the commitment to reduce the climate impacts of mobility while remaining competitive. Among the most important points is the one on 'technology neutrality with regard to ways to achieve the goal of zero-emission road mobility'. And still on the subject of technological neutrality, point 22 of the declaration states the 'need to respect the wide variety of mobility situations and to integrate electric power with alternative, climate-neutral technologies from production to use, where they exist, in line with the declaration adopted as a result of the G7 Transport Summit held in Milan in 2024'.

'The Alliance of the 36 Regions and the work between the Regions themselves,' commented the new president of the ARA, Councillor Guido Guidesi, 'will be fundamental in trying to bring concrete proposals to the next European Commission. Ideas that will allow the automotive sector to be a strategic sector in the future. Now the first step is to make ourselves heard by the new Commission so that with the necessary corrective measures we can save an extremely important and strategic sector'. Together with Guidesi, the Monza Summit was also attended by María Victoria Chivite Navascués, President of Navarra and outgoing President of the Automotive Regions Alliance, and Nicolas Schmit, outgoing EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.