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Energy

Vice-President Šefčovič welcomes Hungary's aim to reskill workforce through the European Battery Academy

On 29 November 2021, Vice-President for Institutional Relations and Foresight Maroš Šefčovič participated in the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding in Budapest, launching the Hungarian National Reskilling Programme in cooperation with the European Battery Academy. The goal is to strengthen the Hungarian battery industry and help address the skills challenge, by training up to 40,000 people during 2021-2025. The programme will thus support the industrial transformation of Hungary's automotive and energy sectors, and the establishment of its battery industry, from mining to recycling. Hungary already ranks among the ten leading exporters of batteries worldwide, and is the number one manufacturer of battery cells in Europe. The Memorandum on skills was signed by Hungary's Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics and CEO of EIT InnoEnergy Diego Pavía. Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič said during the ceremony:“This is our third landmark signature of its kind, following those with Spain and France, and I hope many more will follow. People lie at the very heart of our transition to a green economy. Investing in skills requires and deserves our laser beam focus. That is why the European Battery Alliance has established a European Battery Academy, set to help reskill and upskill some 800,000 people needed by the industry by 2025.” Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth added: I'm delighted with the agreement signed today, which turns the education angle of European innovation policies into concrete actions. The European Battery Academy is an excellent initiative, providing the much needed essential skills for the green transition and creating new high-quality jobs in Europe.” The European Battery Academy, established under the European Battery Alliance, helps deliver on its ambitious objectives, namely to create a highly innovative, globally competitive and sustainable battery value chain in Europe. This is crucial for energy storage, low-emission mobility and other advanced technological solutions.

You can watch the signing ceremony, including the speech of Vice-President Šefčovič here, or read it here.

(For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Célia Dejond – Tel.: +32 229 88199)