Biden, EU leader hold talks on proposal on electric vehicles

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By AAMER MADHANI and RAF CASERTan hour ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met Friday to try to complete a plan that the White House hopes will turn the page on a spat between the U.S. and European Union over electric vehicle tax credits.

Biden and von der Leyen were expected to agree to open negotiations between the U.S. and the EU on a deal that could boost the use of European minerals critical in the production of electric vehicle batteries that are eligible for U.S. tax credits through Biden’s roughly $375 billion clean energy law that passed last year, according to White House officials.

Biden at the start of the meeting said he and von der Leyen would discuss “driving new investments to create clean energy industries and jobs and make sure we have supply chains available” for both continents.

Biden and von der Leyen are also expected to use their Oval Office meeting to discuss Western coordination to support Ukraine in the war against Russia, joint efforts to decrease Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and the Biden administration’s growing concerns that China is considering providing weaponry to Russia for use in the war.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/biden-eu-von-der-leyen-electric-vehicles-8da3d5e3abbbcc9e757b79abff7a93b7

[DFW]

1. I have always thought that von der Leyen should have been Merkel's successor

During Merkel's time as Chancellor, von der Leyen was sent to Germany's political dead end street (their Defense Ministry) to try to bury her career. She is smart, fluent in English, and unafraid to recognize and confront problems. When the macho CDU party apparatus didn't end von der Leyen's career at the Defense Ministry, they sent her to an even worse dead end street, namely the European Commission. Oops, she is doing a credible job there, too. If Merkel's party had been pragmatic about wanting to keep the government in their hands, they would have nominated Ursula von der Leyen as their candidate for Chancellor instead of the wishy-washy Armin Laschet. The CDU macho men won the battle for their party leadership, but lost the leadership of the country. At least Biden gets von der Leyen as a negotiating partner in this matter, rather than one of three jerks that battled it out for the CDU leadership, thus snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the last election.

[NBachers]

2. I always got the impression that she was a one-of-a-kind force to be reckoned with. Top of her game

[DFW]

3. Merkel sort of fell into it, was never a bureaucrat or politician to begin with

The macho crowd figured she would be a placeholder candidate, and the Schröder would be re-elected. Her victory was a WTF moment for both losers and winners the first time she got elected. Both major German parties (SPD and CDU) were macho institutions, still are to a large degree. They were blindsided by Merkel's success, and prefer losing to seeing themselves governed by a woman again.