Renault's Luca de Meo calls on the EC for "more flexibility and less regulation" for the industry.

BarcelonaThe roundtable discussion between the European Commission's Vice President for Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera; Renault's CEO, Luca de Meo; and the director of the Bruegel Institute, Jeromin Zettelmeyer, was one of the most anticipated of the first day of the Círculo de Economía's Annual Meeting. On the one hand, because just a week ago the entire Iberian Peninsula went dark, and it was expected that the former Minister for Ecological Transition would take the opportunity to provide some information on the matter; on the other, because the European industry—and especially the automotive industry—is facing a complex situation in the face of Donald Trump's tariffs.

The first thing that was expected didn't happen: Ribera didn't comment on the blackout, but she wasn't asked about it either. However, he did so this Monday morning at an event organized by the Association of European Journalists of Catalonia, where he criticized the "easy" attack on renewable energy as the culprits of the great blackout in Spain. Be that as it may, Luca de Meo, for his part, did take advantage of the meeting with Ribera to call for "more flexibility" in the system and criticized the abundance of regulation, "which greatly complicates things in the sector and for manufacturers."

"People can't afford to buy cars, so they stick with what they have. The average age of the car fleet has gone from seven years to twelve years and a bit in recent years, which means the pollution problem isn't solved," de Meo recalled. In this sense, "having deadlines doesn't help." "There has to be a way; we have to implement a joint industrial strategy where the automobile plays a role," he demanded.

Regarding tariffs, Ribera lamented the use of foreign trade or raw materials as leverage, adding that the reductions in trade barriers in recent decades "have allowed us to achieve new levels of well-being," although he noted some concerns, such as the need to "monitor" that countries that want to sell products and services in Europe maintain compliance with these same standards and that, in his words, it is not a race to the bottom in terms of working and environmental conditions.

The danger of state aid

"I'm a little concerned about the emphasis the European Commission is placing on state aid," Zettelmeyer noted. "Most countries in Europe don't provide much money at the national level, but if it's based on that, it will be a problem for competition because it will favor the countries with the money," said the director of the Bruegel Institute.

In this sense, both Ribera and de Meo agreed: "We must be careful, transparent, and guarantee" regarding state aid, Ribera asserted, "because, if not, we run the risk of the European project collapsing," he warned. "Be careful not to think that everything will be resolved with state aid, whether for shippers, production chains, or innovation," he warned.