Germany's Merkel says EU battery cell production 'extremely important'

BERLIN (Reuters) - It is "extremely important" that the European Union develop its own battery cell production to secure its role in the automotive industry as it shifts to electric mobility, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. "If China is opening the first battery cell production here, then that is nice. Then battery cells are being made in Europe too. But I don't know whether it was our dream that we cannot do that ourselves in the European Union," she said at an industry conference on Tuesday. "I am still advocating that we develop the strategic ability to produce battery cells too. I believe that will be extremely important in the next decades," she added. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; writing by Maria Sheahan; editing by Thomas Seythal)