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Notes -
Not enough agency to the Europeans in this, IMO.
Aside from German government incompetence, more than the Americans, I'd give credit to the French on any planning to profit at German expense. The Paris Climate Accords were structured in such a way that enabled the key global economic blocks (EU/US/China) to justify protectionism on environmental grounds, but it was Paris who was leading the European Union's legislative phase-out of internal combustion engine cars, which have been a key part of the German economic model. This is classic French economic-advantage-by-legislation, a natural extension of the Paris Climate Accords themselves and was negotiated in the twilight of the Merkel era. The EU combustion engine ban is one of those 'the people who write the rules can write the rules to advantage themselves,' but whereas the French have reliable nuclear baseload power for their auto-industry, the Germans were betting on the Russian energy over repeated and decades-long American objections.
When what was functionally a Russian energy subsidy to German industry went away, so did the viability of the EV market leader, hence why the Germans threw the wrench and blocked the EU internal combustion ban from going forward this month.
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