EU policy news

CARS 21 Highlevel Group Interim Report 2011

Important changes are expected in the global automotive industry in several areas that are likely to profoundly reshape the industry and its markets worldwide. The European Commission relaunched the CARS 21 High Level Group in 2010 in order to explore these changes and challenges as part of a ”European strategy on clean and energy-efficient vehicles”, adopted on 28th April 2010. The Group published on December 2nd 2011, the Interim report on the on “The Competitiveness and Sustainable Growth of the Automotive Industry in the European Union”.

The report, which covers the group’s consensus on a number of selected topics discussed so far. Some may be further elaborated and further topics will be added in the rest of the CARS 21 process, leading to the adoption of the Final Report. The texts calls for  ”preparing the launch of a specific major initiative on breakthrough technologies (including, among others, electrification of combustion engines, hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel cells, electrical and electronic systems), taking into account the possible development of the European Innovation Partnerships on Smart Mobility and Smart cities and other relevant initiatives.”

As part of the Commission’s modern industrial policy, the CARS 21 (Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st century) process, which was initially launched in 2005, aims to make recommendations for the short-, medium-, and long-term public policy and regulatory framework of the European automotive industry. This framework enhances global competitiveness and employment, while sustaining further progress in safety and environmental performance at a price affordable to the consumer.

To Read the Report See: CARS 21 Interim Report

Further Reading »

Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn to attend the Fourth Transport Research Arena in Athens

On 22 and 23 April, the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn is in Athens, where she will attend the Fourth Transport Research Arena (TRA) – the most important event in Europe dedicated to surface transport research. During this event, the Commissioner will open the conference and exhibition and will deliver a speech at the plenary session on ‘EU 2020 objectives on transport innovation: from research to deployment’. In this context, she will also meet with Constantinos Kokkinoplitis, Secretary General for Research & Technology of the Ministry for Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs and Industry leaders to discuss the future of transport research under Horizon 2020. Transport industry and transport equipment manufacturing together represent 6.3 % of the European Union’s GDP.

..read more Updated 20 Apr, 2012

Positive Discussions on ETS and Energy Efficiency

The meeting of Energy ministers in Denmark on Friday 20 April 2012 concluded by reaching an agreement on the approach recommended by the European Commission in its energy roadmap to 2050. Europe’s energy future will involve higher efficiency, more renewables and infrastructure upgrades, they said. The ministers backed the roadmap’s ‘no regret’ options, which the commission says would apply to all decarbonisation scenarios envisaged in the document, regardless of the choices made by member states. The agreement means energy ministers recognise the basic principles that the commission believes should underpin Europe’s transition towards a low-carbon energy system. 

..read more Updated 20 Apr, 2012

MEPs to vote on Energy Taxation Directive

MEPs will today vote  on the proposal for revision of the 2003 Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) following a report by Astrid Lulling (EPP, Luxembourg) in Strasbourg last night. 

..read more Updated 19 Apr, 2012