EU to launch strategic automotive dialogue on Jan. 30

Brussels – No sooner said than done: The European Commission organizes a strategic dialogue for the auto sector in Brussels, staying true to its announcements and commitments. On January 30, the EU executive is bringing together all of the industry’s stakeholders –businesses, trade unions, “and other key players” — to pull the industry out of its crisis and revitalize the European automotive industry.

Innovation, clean transition and decarbonization, competitiveness, trade relations, an international ‘level playing field,’ and regulatory simplification are the key topics and the focus of the work the EU executive intends to carry out. The goal is to achieve the sector’s long-term competitiveness, with strategic dialogue seen as the best tool to achieve objectives and expectations. 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will chair the meeting. It is a way of testifying to her commitment to involve all stakeholders to “collaboratively understand challenges, develop solutions, and take concrete action,” the EU Commission. It added that it “recognizes the need for urgent action” to protect a strategic sector under the Green Deal and the twelve-star competitive agenda. It is why there will be thematic working groups to draft detailed proposals. There will also be wider consultations with other stakeholders in the industry and other sections of the automotive value chain and close EU Council and Parliament involvement “throughout the process.”