EU President to Visit Biden March 10
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet with President Joe Biden March 10, and will discuss "U.S.-EU coordination to combat the climate crisis through investing in clean technology based on secure supply chains," the White House said March 2.
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Cars and SUVs made in the EU that are electric vehicles do not qualify for consumer tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, and even U.S.- or Mexican-built cars with EU batteries do not qualify. The EU has been arguing that its automotive industry should be treated the same as Canadian and Mexican suppliers, and the Treasury Department has said there may be room for a narrow critical minerals trade agreement to allow critical minerals processed or mined in the EU to count under those content requirements.
The Treasury Department issued partial guidance at the end of last year, saying that leased vehicles do not need to meet the regional requirements, and is expected to issue guidance by the end of March on which countries can participate in the critical minerals supply chain and still have the batteries qualify for the tax credits.
The White House announcement also said the two will talk about "our work together to address the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China."
The EU announcement of the trip, which includes a visit of several days in Canada, put in bold that they want to have "collaboration between the EU and US on innovation and secure supply chains for clean techwhile rallying the world behind a global net zero emissions goal."