Technical and Competition Committees update Newsletter June 2020

19/06/2020

Since the beginning of the year, the Technical and Competition Committees have closed four cases and continued to work on the remaining 22 cases currently open.

The Committees met virtually on 27th May to discuss current priorities, during which members were updated on the latest developments concerning the open cases and agreed on a series of next steps to ensure swift progress.

The discussions also touched on the latest ATIEL activities, after which members were briefed on UEIL’s recent advocacy efforts. The Committees have been engaging in the ongoing evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (MVBER), calling for fair and healthy competition in the automotive sector, and more specifically its aftermarket. In recent weeks UEIL members have been providing input to an external survey on this topic carried out by Ernst & Young. The survey closed on 15th June and will be followed by a second consultation to be launched by the European Commission towards the end of the year.

The Committees believe that the MVBER provides the adequate legislative framework to guarantee a level playing field between all operators and prevent anti-competitive behaviour. However, the evaluation of the legislation also represents a unique opportunity to improve a few aspects of the competition provisions in the automotive aftermarket. A paper outlining UEIL’s position will be finalised shortly and used to support UEIL engagement with EU decision-makers in the coming months.

The next meeting of the Technical and Competition Committees will take place on 16th September.