Commission consults on the CARS 21 final report

Publication date: 05 April 2006

The Commission has launched a public consultation (deadline: 28 April 2006) on the report of the CARS 21 High Level Group that provides a comprehensive analysis of the competitiveness of the European automotive industry. The report puts forward a number of recommendations in several key areas such as regulatory simplification, environmental protection, road safety, research and development, trade, taxation/fiscal incentives and intellectual property. Stakeholders are invited to comment on the content and recommendations of the report.

Vice-President Verheugen responsible for enterprise and industry policy said: “The launch of the public consultation on the results of CARS 21 embodies the Commission's firm commitment to better regulation principles. I invite all interested parties to contribute so that the Commission has a broad basis of opinion on which to build our conclusions."

In particular, stakeholders are invited to comment on the following questions:
- Whether CARS 21 has addressed and proposed the most relevant issues for the automotive industry?
- Whether the actions proposed by CARS 21 are cost-efficient and balanced?

The Commission is currently preparing a Communication to the European Parliament and Council on the competitive automotive regulatory framework for the 21st century. The Communication is expected to present the conclusions of CARS 21, put forward the Commission’s interpretation of these conclusions and indicate a series of actions, which the Commission intends to take in order to improve the competitiveness of the European automotive industry. The Communication is expected for the 3rd quarter of 2006.

The public consultation can be found here. Comments made by the FIA can be found here.

Background:
CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st Century) was launched by Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen on 13th January 2005. The Group brought together the key stakeholders in the automotive sector to conduct a comprehensive analysis into the competitiveness drivers of the European automotive industry. The objective was to make recommendations for the short, medium and the long term public policy and regulatory framework for the European automotive industry to enhance global competitiveness and employment while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the consumer. The Group held a series of meetings throughout 2005 and adopted its final report on 12th December 2005.

Related News Item:
Comment on the CARS 21 Report by FIA President Max Mosley (12 December 2005)