Tajani promises good news for automakers at EU summit[fr][de] 

Tajani, "speaking with his heart rather than his head," as he put it, delivered a warrior-like speech to mobilise public support for the transport sector during a freight transport event  on 10 December organised by ACEA, the European carmakers' association. 

The best way to defend the ailing car industry is to "go on the attack," said Tajani, urging companies and member states to join forces with the Commission to fight the current economic crisis, which he compared to the Second World War. 

"I'm engaged in the 20-20-20 project," he said, referring to the EU target of cutting CO2 emissions from cars by 20% by 2020. However, he underlined that "we need to understand that our countries have entreprises that need to guarantee millions of jobs to citizens". "This is why I believe that in the final compromise [on the EU economic recovery plan], there will be a good signal for the entreprises of your interest," he told event participants. 

The EU executive's proposed plan includes exceptional authorisation for state aid to the car industry and a €5 billion EU-funded push to develop cleaner cars. 

"We need to spend a lot of money into the transport sector," Tajani added, underlining in particular the importance of investing in infrastructure and expanding trans-European transport networks beyond EU frontiers to Russia and Africa in order to expand possibilities for EU transport sector business development. 

Tajani told industry representatives at the event not to underestimate his ambitious vision for Africa. "If Europe can help the continent build its transport infrastructure, it could not only bring political stability to the continent and help resolve immigration problems but also give huge business opportunities for European companies," he said.

The commissioner's call for important infrastructure funding was echoed by event participants, who underlined the importance of investing in developing intra-modal transport systems to enable smooth continuation of transport between rail, road, maritime and air. 

The sector has indeed praised US President-elect Barack Obama's promise to prioritise investment in building and maintaining roads as key to driving economic recovery.