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Yesterday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen initiated the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry, convening key industry leaders, social partners, and stakeholders to address critical challenges facing the sector.

The Dialogue’s main takeaways, along with a public consultation and focused discussions on key topics are expected to feed the upcoming Action Plan for the Automotive sector, which will be unveiled by Transport Commissioner Tzitzikostas on 5 March. The Action Plan would address a broad range of issues relevant to the sector, such as ensuring access to talent and resources, fostering technological innovation and the development of next-generation vehicles, and establishing a pragmatic and predictable regulatory framework.

As announced in the EU Competitiveness Compass, it is expected that the Action Plan will include the Clean Corporate Fleet proposal, an initiative aimed at developing demand-side measures for professionals’ fleet renewals. In its position paper published last week, CLECAT warns about the potential adverse effects of zero-emission vehicle mandate in the fleet of logistics operators. The Commission should instead focus on providing the right enabling conditions, including adequate charging infrastructure and proper financial incentives to allow logistics operators to deploy zero-emission vehicles in their operations. Mandating purchase targets without addressing the serious infrastructure challenges would force operators to purchase vehicles without the ability to use them. Not only will this come at a substantial cost, but it would also reduce the effectiveness, efficiency, and competitiveness of European operators.

Source: European Commission