40 human rights and environmental NGOs are concerned to see a recent Council text proposing delays of up to four years for the introduction of rules aiming at reducing batteries’ carbon footprint, a delay of two years for the phase-in of mandatory supply chain checks for environmental and human rights abuses, as well as a delay of two years or more for performance and durability requirements of batteries. But Europe’s battery industry is being set up now, and not in three or four year’s time. By supporting such delays governments would not only be saying they do not want clean and ethical batteries, putting the entire zero emissions transition in jeopardy, but they would be missing a golden opportunity to support a new sustainable and strategic European industry.
