The High Level Group on Automotive Industry (GEAR 2030) will articulate a strategy to maintain and boost the competitiveness of the automakers in Europe.

Under the Chairmanship of Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska (DG Growth) and in the presence of 5 Commissioners, the High Level Group on Automotive Industry (GEAR 2030) met for the first time on 26 January 2016 at the European Commission in Brussels.

GEAR 2030 brings together key stakeholders to discuss the future of the automotive industry. Public authorities and representatives from industry and academia will join forces to address the challenges faced by the European automotive industry in a coordinated way.

ERTICO’s Hermann Meyer calls for a large scale deployment pilot on automated and connected vehicles in Europe

Hermann Meyer, CEO of ERTICO ITS-Europe focused his statement on digitalisation of transport “as an enabler and driver of current major trends in the automotive sector: automation, electrification and mobility as a service”. He requested the EU to develop a common vision on how to steer these trends towards a new mobility paradigm.

Meyer requested a single European market and legal framework for automation and ITS to ensure market scale and continuity of services. He asked the European Commission and Member States “to consider a large scale deployment pilot on automated and connected vehicles in Europe”. The purpose of the pilot would be to bring existing European initiatives to a convergence and to kick-start necessary infrastructure investments.

Three main areas of work to boost competitiveness

The automotive industry has been an important economic engine in many European countries. However, disruptive technologies and changes in the markets make it necessary for the European automotive industry to quickly adapt to a number of new challenges. In this regard, Gear 2030 will work on three main areas:

  • Adaptation of the EU value chain: Globalisation, changing mobility patterns, digitalisation and consumer expectations are reshaping the environments where automakers operate. However, those who manage to adapt and respond to the imminent changes will emerge stronger than they were.
  • Trade, international harmonisation and global competitiveness: Europe is no longer an absolute leader in terms of regulatory standards and the market access benefits stemming from the free trade agreements and multilateral frameworks are becoming increasingly challenged.
  • Roadmap for highly automated vehicles: Automated and connected vehicles could form part of the shift to a true Digital Single Market within the EU. They could enable new transport services, lower accident rates and increased shares on third markets. However, driverless cars will not hit the road until the issues they raise are solved.  In this regard, GEAR 2030 aims to develop a strategy on connected and automated vehicles by summer 2016.

By addressing these challenges in the supply chain, the European suppliers could reinforce their technological leadership. An ambitious, forward-looking regulatory agenda could warrant continued private and public investment in research, development and innovation, helping EU automotive industry, in particular SMEs, adapt to rapid production cycles. It could also increase the share of high-quality and high-technology vehicles on third markets with high growth potential.

About GEAR 2030

The European Commission DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs re-launched in October 2015 the High Level Group on Automotive Industry, now called GEAR 2030.

The High Level Group, consisting of the national authorities and organisations in EU countries and chaired by Ms Elżbieta Bieńkowska (European Commission) aims to develop recommendations to boost the competitiveness of the European automotive industry.

Download the Commission Decision here: http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/13205/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/pdf

Learn more: European Commission

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