With the automotive industry witnessing a shift towards greener, eco-friendly forms of mobility, the European Union must develop and ramp up the strategic production of battery cells productions to stay relevant and ahead of the competition, opined Merkel.

On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, it is “extremely important” that the European Union develops its own battery cell production facilities in order to secure, strengthen and solidify its role in the coming shift to electrify mobility in the automotive industry.

“If China is opening the first battery cell production here, then that is nice. Then battery cells are being made in Europe too. But I don’t know whether it was our dream that we cannot do that ourselves in the European Union,” said Merkel at an industry conference.

She went on to add, “I am still advocating that we develop the strategic ability to produce battery cells too. I believe that will be extremely important in the next decades”.