- Title: Merkel rejects electric car quota pushed by German election rival
- Date: 12th August 2017
- Summary: DORTMUND, GERMANY (AUGUST 12, 2017) (REUTERS) SECURITY OUTSIDE VENUE CDU FLAG PEOPLE IN CDU FOYER, ZOOM INTO CDU MERCHANDISE PLACARD READING: FOR A GERMANY WHERE WE WANT TO LIVE AND CAN LIVE WELL GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING TO FIRST ELECTION EVENT OF THE CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS THE CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "We are starting the hot phase of the campaign. Today in six weeks will be the last whole campaign day, and that will already be the Saturday before the election. So there is not much time left. We need to fight, to engage and campaign for our issues. As I see it we are in a very special situation at the moment. On the one side Germany is in a very good place, that has already been seen and I have repeated it. On the other side, everyone can sense that we are living in time of upheaval. We are living in times of uncertainty and nobody would really be able to easily say what Germany will look like in ten years." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "In these times, we are saying on the one hand, automobile location number one! But at the same time, we stand here and can say that large sections of the automobile industry have gambled away unbelievable amounts of trust. And this trust that they have gambled away can only be regained by the actions of the automobile industry themselves. And when I talk about the industry I mean the business leaders and something needs to be done. And each of you knows that this is exactly the sort of behaviour not promoted by a social market. Honesty is a core part of a social market and the things that have been swept under the carpet or where loopholes in exhaust fume tests were massively abused, beyond recognition. This, of course, destroys trust and this is according to my understanding of things, not compatible with the social market." PEOPLE CLAPPING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "In regards to the automobile industry, and you can feel this too, it is not just about about changes to the drive itself that will come about step by step. By the way, I don't really believe that the quota for E-cars - for this technology - has been well thought out. I mean, what would be the steps, we would negotiate for ages in Europe as to what the quota should be and at the end what would we do if it isn't being adhered to." CLOSE OF CDU/CDA SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Who would then buy the whole of the quota, could petrol engine cars no longer be bought if other people are not buying electric cars? And I think, and this is also the way the Union wants to go, that we need to create a whole picture. The government also has to take responsibility. Charging infrastructures and other aspects. But also to provide incentives for people to use electric cars and new drive technologies." PEOPLE LISTENING AND TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "But we do all want one thing, and this is also in the interests of employers and employees, and that is that the automobile industry continues to remain a vital pillar of our economy. We cannot and do not want to forgo this. And that is why we need to innovate quickly and be on top of new innovations and where companies can't manage it alone, the government must stand behind them and shove things along and agree on expectations and commitments." PEOPLE CLAPPING, CDU LETTERS IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "This will not all be in place any time in the next two years (self-drive vehicles) but for those people not that good at parking, you can now try it on automatic...I am speaking especially to you men out there." (laughter) AUDIENCE CLAPPING MERKEL BEING GIVEN HAMPER PEOPLE WATCHING MERKEL AND MEMBERS OF CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION (CDA) POSING FOR PHOTO VARIOUS OF MERKEL AND MEMBERS OF CDA SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM MERKEL LEAVING STAGE
- Embargoed: 26th August 2017 13:12
- Keywords: Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel automobile industry electro cars election campaign CDU
- Location: DORTMUND, GERMANY
- City: DORTMUND, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA0016TUP5XJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off her re-election campaign on Saturday (August 12) with a stinging attack on German auto executives, pressing them to innovate to secure jobs and win back trust lost by a diesel emissions scandal.
Merkel 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, Merkel's main challenger in the September 24 national election, on Friday called for such a quota - both in Germany and across the European Union, saying it would encourage industry to innovate.
"I don't think that the quota for E-cars - for this technology - has been well thought out," Merkel told supporters of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the party's employers' arm in the western city of Dortmund.
Instead, Merkel called for a bigger strategy for helping the auto industry make the transition to producing electric cars.
"We need to innovate quickly," she said. "Where companies can't manage it alone, the government must stand behind them and shove things along."
The auto industry is Germany's biggest exporter and provides about 800,000 jobs. But politicians fear Germany's carmakers are failing to invest enough in new technology and infrastructure - concerns that have been mounting since the Volkswagen emissions scandal broke in 2015.
Merkel also used her speech to call automobile business leaders to task for their dishonesty in cheating on emissions tests for at least six years, saying it was now up to them to rebuild trust in German car brands.
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 "demonising" diesel engines.
Her conservatives have promised tax cuts worth some 15 billion euros ($17.72 billion) annually as well as increased spending on infrastructure, defence and security. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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