Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
“Europe may not be able to match China or the US when it comes to the speed or amount of public money and state support for critical industries or more competitive energy costs”.
This was one of the key sentences from Friday’s statement by Sigrid de Vries, Director General of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).
As elections sweep across Europe, the automotive sector is closely monitoring potential impacts on future investments and industry regulations and de Vries enhanced the need for decisive actions to support the industry amid this uncertainty.
The ACEA’s director advocates for a strategic approach that leverages Europe’s strengths—such as the Single Market and strong R&D culture—while addressing regulatory burdens and fragmented capital markets.
The association represents the 15 major Europe-based OEMs including BMW Group, Ford Europe, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
“Europe may not be able to match China or the US when it comes to the speed or amount of public money and state support for critical industries or more competitive energy costs,” de Vries remarked.
“But we can and should better leverage our strengths – the Single Market, our strong R&D culture – and work on our weaknesses such as burdensome and incoherent regulation and a fragmented capital market, to develop our own ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ to keep manufacturing in Europe competitive,” she added.
The ACEA’s general director also emphasized the urgency of moving from political declarations to concrete measures. The automotive industry faces significant challenges: inadequate public charging infrastructure, slow electric vehicle market growth, and intense global competition for green technology investments.
Workforce development is another critical area. The ACEA recommends establishing an Automotive Skills Academy under the Net-Zero Industry Act to focus on essential skills like electric vehicle manufacturing, cybersecurity, and automation.
In a reaction to the tariffs on China-made EVs announced earlier this month, ACEA has recently reiterated the critical role of free and fair trade in enabling a globally competitive European automotive industry.
“What the European automotive sector needs above all else to be globally competitive is a robust industrial strategy for electromobility,” said Sigrid de Vries, Director of ACEA.
Last month, the US administration announced tariffs of 25 percent on steel and aluminum, 50 percent on semiconductors, 100 percent on electric vehicles, and 50 percent on solar panels.
Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
