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| Angela Merkel, German Chancellor and leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, speaks at the start of the CDU’s election rally for Germany’s general election in Dortmund, August 12, 2017 |
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday rejected a proposal made by her Social Democrat rivals to introduce quotas for electric cars in Europe, arguing the implementation of such targets would prove too complicated.
Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz, Merkelโs main challenger in the Sept. 24 national election, on Friday called for such a quota โ both in Germany and across the European Union, saying it would encourage industry to innovate.
โI donโt think that the quota for E-cars โ for this technology โ has been well thought out,โ Merkel told supporters of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the partyโs employersโ arm in the western city of Dortmund.
โThen we would negotiate for ages in Europe. What would we do if it is not adhered to?โ she added of the quota. โCould petrol engine cars no longer be bought?โ
Instead, Merkel called for a bigger strategy for helping the auto industry make the transition to producing electric cars.
โWe need to innovate quickly,โ she said. โWhere companies canโt manage it alone, the government must stand behind them and shove things along.โ
The auto industry is Germanyโs biggest exporter and provides about 800,000 jobs. But politicians fear Germanyโs carmakers are failing to invest enough in new technology and infrastructure โ concerns that have been mounting since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke in 2015.
Merkel, whose CDU leads rival parties in opinion polls, is campaigning for a fourth term in office on a platform of economic stability. She has repeatedly warned against โdemonisingโ diesel engines.
Her conservatives have promised tax cuts worth some โฌ15bn annually as well as increased spending on infrastructure, defence and security.
