On February 23, at the 6th high-level meeting of the European Battery Alliance the key priority areas were identified for 2022, which will define this year’s directions for the respective company policies, which are hinged onto more sustainable use of batteries in Europe. One of the most prominent issues remains to be the progress on the European Commission’s batteries regulation that continues to be fiercely debated in the Parliament and in the Council.
What is the EBA?
The European Battery Alliance aims to create a “complete, globally competitive, and sustainable battery value chain in the EU”. Since 2017 the coalition brings together the EC, Member States, the European Investment Bank, and other industry stakeholders. The purpose of this network is to create a vertically integrated battery value chain in Europe. The European Battery Alliance holds annual meetings where EU legislators and key industry players discuss the current stage of thhe steps needed to move forward.
The 2022 priority areas
Proposal regulation on sustainable batteries.
Raw material diversification: The EC aims to secure supplies for critical raw materials through the diversification of domestic (i.e., EU) extraction locations through funding provided by the European Industrial Alliances on batteries and raw materials.
Streamlining permitting procedures and ensuring compliance with social and environmentalstandards based on:
Regulation proposal adopted by the EC (2020) on due diligence requirements for all battery raw materials-related activities.
EU Principles for Sustainable Raw Materials (2021) : voluntary integrated approach to sustainable raw materials extraction and processing in terms of social, environmental and economic performance.
Improving and facilitating access to funding for battery raw materials projects e.g., Strategic partnerships on raw materials with Canada and Ukraine.
European Battery Academy: national re-skilling and up-skilling programmes.
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