Speakers:
Márton Czirfusz, co-founder, Periféria Policy and Research Center (Budapest, Hungary)
Petr Pavlinek, Charles University in Prague, University of Nebraska at Omaha
The presentation will analyze the transition towards the production of electric vehicles in eastern Europe in the context of the development of the automotive industry in eastern Europe since the early 1990s and its relative position in the European automotive industry value chains and production networks. It will emphasize that foreign firms are driving the transition, while the role of the east European governments and local firms is much less significant. It will explain why the transition is slower than in western Europe and why eastern Europe will continue to produce vehicles with ICEs longer. I will consider the consequences of the transition for the position of east European countries in automotive value chains, production networks and the division of labor in the European automotive industry.