Some four industry associations are coming up with an action plan for restarting the automotive sector. With the action plan, the parties want to support the restart of the sector and stimulate economic recovery. Among other things, the parties call for consumer subsidies on the purchase of new cars.
The action plan has been presented by ACEA, CECRA, CLEPA and ETRMA. With 25 recommendations, the industry associations want to contribute ideas on the role governments and regulations can play in restarting the sector. "They are designed to support the political and regulatory response to the COVID-19 crisis, secure a successful recovery of the economy and support a progressive recovery of the automotive sector," the parties write in a press release.
Priorities
Priorities here are, according to the parties:
- A coordinated relaunch of industrial activities in line with health guidelines
- Maintaining the necessary liquidity for companies to support a healthy automotive ecosystem
- Laying a foundation for sustainable economic recovery, primarily through demand for vehicles and investment in new technology and innovation.
Recommendations
Specifically, the parties make the following recommendations:
- Provide harmonised preventive health and safety guidelines for work environments
- Exclude goods transport from border closures and adjust border controls accordingly
- Provide European Commission with a central source of information on border measures
- Ensure uniform exceptions for cross-border traffic and necessary trips
- Consider temporary flexibility in competition regulations
- Use deferral opportunities offered by the EU Union Customs Code
- Reopen dealers and garages as soon as possible
- Introduce renewal programmes for all vehicle categories in the EU
- Strengthen national innovation programmes with direct European funding
- Direct funding tools from the EU for targeted government procurement of new vehicles
- Start the announced pilot for charging infrastructure and alternative fuel infrastructure without further delay
- Accelerate and facilitate investments in next-generation digital infrastructure
- Postpone all non-essential public consultations for at least two months
- Assess the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on industry-relevant legislation
- Restore the type approval process as soon as possible
- Check compliance with relevant legislation at EU level
- Propose ambitious Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive amendments as early as Q3 2020
- Speed up consideration of bills to encourage embrace of more environmentally friendly fuels
- Reflect 'Just Transition' and COVID-19 recovery in Skills Agenda for Europe
- Speed up regulatory work on digital transport
- Provide an ambitious Horizon Europe budget to support climate-neutral road transport
- Improve innovation-focused public procurement in transport and mobility through the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF)
- Expand European Investment Bank's ability to finance innovation in mobility
- Support retraining of employees
- Draw up a sector skills pact for the automotive sector in the short term
More information can be found in the action plan, available here.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
