FIGIEFA, the International Federation of Automotive Aftermarket Distributors, has welcomed an EU initiative to promote the competitiveness of Europe’s automotive industry but is “alarmed” that the proposed composition of the “Cars 21” group does not reflect the importance of the independent automotive aftermarket, which employs over two million people.

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“Since this forum intends to issue recommendations regarding the future of the whole European automotive industry, we believe that the entire sector must be taken into account. The market for the servicing and repair of vehicles is an integral part of the automotive industry and should be included”, said FIGIEFA president Hartmut Röhl.


FIGIEFA claims EU Commissioner Verheugen’s recent statements were perceived by various commentators as implicit threats to the new competition rules and to current liberalisation proposals.


“We cannot accept that under the pretext of strengthening the competitiveness of the whole industry, a policy might be pursued that only benefits the biggest players, namely the car manufacturers,” added Röhl.


A sound regulatory framework must take into account all players, including the thousands of companies operating in the markets for vehicle servicing and repair. “If it doesn’t, there is a serious risk that recommendations will be made from the perspective of vehicle production only.  These won’t be the unbiased view the EU legislator expects, and needs”, Röhl said.

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FIGIEFA wants representatives from the independent automotive aftermarket to be included in the Cars 21 working group.