Setting CO2 targets for vehicles offers a clear and stable legal environment for investment; a smart and realistic framework will further stimulate technological innovation by vehicle producers and component suppliers. “CLEPA calls for a fast decision. Both Member States and the European Parliament should be ready to make compromises so as to achieve the much-needed planning certainty”, said Mr Jean Marc Gales, CLEPA CEO.
Negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council have reached a critical stage. In an attempt to achieve a solution within weeks both institutions are tabling different variations of a possible compromise. A delay in the decision making process may postpone the final adoption of the regulation until 2015 due to the institutional calendar including the EP elections next year.
Taking into account the current situation, CLEPA believes that a timely conclusion of this file will benefit the automotive industry as a whole and will reconcile environment, economic and innovation concerns. Therefore, CLEPA urges the Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the Member States not to miss the opportunity to seal a deal – including via adjustments to the “trialogue compromise” of July 2013. This is necessary to bring clarity in terms of climate protection and at the same time introduce the necessary adjustments in terms of flexibilities and incentives for innovation. Further flexibilities and incentives should be considered as long as they are technologically neutral and beneficial for the industry as a whole. One option amongst others should be the further strengthening of super-credits in order to protect the competitiveness of the European automotive industry.
The European automotive suppliers industry is a global technology leader, largely due to its yearly investments of €18 billion in innovation. For years, European suppliers have registered the most patents for innovations in emissions and safety. Ongoing regulatory uncertainty is jeopardizing the efforts to attract investment in innovative technologies. Smart regulation would bring about safer, greener and more interconnected cars that would reinforce the competitiveness of the European automotive industry. “We absolutely need to keep high-level research and innovation in Europe and that requires long term planning. Time matters more than ever. That is why we need in Europe an ambitious level of cooperation among all relevant stakeholders”, concluded Mr Jean Marc Gales, CLEPA CEO.
