France and Germany Thursday announced the formation of a battery alliance. Initially 5-6 billion euros will be invested in R&D and pilot production, of which 1.2 billion will be provided by European public funds. The European Commission (EC) has agreed to sign off on the subsidy, but a majority of member states need to approve it.
As the world is preparing for a transition to electric driving, the EC considers battery technology of strategic importance. It launched (link in Dutch) its own battery alliance in 2017, and pledged (link in Dutch) billions of state aid last year. To lay claim to these funds, cooperation between member states is a requirement.
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