Spain and the Czech Republic have become the latest nations to offer car 'scrappage' incentives.
The Spanish government is offering €500 per car but wants the country’s autonomous regions to make an additional contribution. The Czech scheme has two levels, with incentives of €1150 and €2300 depending on the kind of new car being bought. Both schemes have minimum CO2 emissions criteria, but environmental groups have criticised them for being too weak.
Europe must stand firm over its future targets for carmakers as it cannot afford to fall further behind China.
The decision to create a Europe-wide carbon price was right but creates significant political risk. The good news is it can still be fixed.
It's about time the EU requires parts of key products to be made locally – and nowhere is this more urgent than in the battery sector.