Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche wants a free trade agreement between the EU and the US that also harmonises safety regulations.
According to the Detroit News, negotiators have held six rounds of talks since July 2013, trying to agree a deal that would allow easier exports of European- and US-made vehicles. At present, the automakers spend hundreds of millions of dollars to comply with the different regulations on each side of the Atlantic.
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Zetsche said: “Progress is being made, but some sticking points remain. But there’s too much at stake to not resolve these points. Take the example of US and European automotive safety regulations. Both are the strictest in the world. However, the crash tests we carry out still vary. On top of that, different required equipment – think of taillights, turn signals, mirrors, etc. – makes the standardisation of our cars, SUVs and trucks impossible. Even small differences in safety regulations result in huge extra costs: We do research twice. We develop twice. We tool, procure and certify twice.”
He added a free trade deal, which would be known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), is a “historic opportunity for the world’s two strongest economic regions to both reinforce our fundamental values and secure a prosperous future”.
The US Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers thinks harmonising safety regulations would lead to economic growth and competitiveness. However, the lobby group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety said US safety rules could be “subject to significant weakening through harmonisation under this agreement”.
Meanwhile, both sides are concerned consumer protection would be weakened as a result of common standards.
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