EESC calls for urgent action in response to the crisis in the European automotive industry

Published: 18 May 2009 y., Monday

 

Elektromobilis „Mitsubishi i MiEV“
During its plenary session on 13 May 2009, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted a key opinion on responding to the crisis in the European automotive industry. It welcomed measures put forward by the Commission as part of the EU economic recovery plan but stressed the need for speed in establishing a coherent and coordinated framework to ward off any drift towards protectionism and to set common goals.

The Committee adopted a key opinion by rapporteur Gustav Z öhrer (Group II, Employees, Austria) welcoming the initiatives by the European Commission. While stressing the overall importance of these measures, the EESC underscores that the present crisis calls for swift action and that measures need to be implemented more quickly than planned, especially to save supply industry SMEs from collapse. The crisis is affecting the automotive sector more swiftly and severely than other branches of industry. As a key sector for the European economy it needs urgent action from both EU Institutions and Member States.  

The EESC draws attention to the importance of ensuring rapid access to sufficient targeted funding through banks, the European Investment Bank or state aid and guarantees from the Member States. " The urgent thing is to prevent unemployment, retain know-how in the industry and use slack periods for measures to boost workforce skills," Mr Z öhrer stresses. I ncentives to boost demand are also needed. In addition, the Committee calls on the Member States and the Commission to provide the overall macroeconomic environment to safeguard incomes and thus fuel domestic demand.

With this opinion, the EESC also underlines that care must be taken not to identify structural problems with overcapacit y alone, as there is a danger that the crisis will result in undercapacity and hence more imports when demand increases again. The Committee also requests that specific actions for the downstream markets be included, as CARS 21 did for the manufacturing sector. The EESC therefore calls on the social partners concerned and the Commission to launch a real, effective social dialogue and to strengthen co-operation with trading partners in the United States and Asia, in particular with regard to the conclusion of a free trade agreement with South Korea.

 

Šaltinis: ec.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Commission approves amendment to Lithuanian crisis measure allowing small amounts of aid

The European Commission has approved, under EC Treaty state aid rules, an amendment to a Lithuanian scheme allowing aid to be granted of up to €500 000 per company, initially approved on 8 June 2009. more »

The EU and Russia reinforce the Early Warning Mechanism to improve prevention and management in case of an energy crisis

As agreed by the President of the European Commission and the President of the Russian Federation during the last EU-Russia Summit in Khabarovsk, the EU and Russia have strengthened the current dispositions under the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue to prevent and manage potential energy crises, with an enhanced Early Warning Mechanism. more »

EU provides EUR 1 billion for trade facilitation in developing countries

The European Union has today presented to the World Trade Organization the trade facilitation projects it has financed between 2006 and 2008. more »

Commission approves Romanian state guarantee to Ford Romania

The European Commission has authorised, under the EC Treaty’s rules on state aid, a planned state guarantee by Romania to enable Ford Romania SA to access a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB). more »

Getting out of the red

The economic crisis has left many countries with budget deficits well over the 3% limit. The commission is proposing deadlines for reducing the gaps. more »

In October 2009 prices for consumer goods and services went down by 0.4 per cent

Statistics Lithuania informs that in October 2009, against September, prices for consumer goods and services went down by 0.4 per cent. more »

Lithuania and China aim at strengthening economic and trade dialogue

Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Šarūnas Adomavičius took part in bilateral political consultations with representatives from foreign affairs, commerce and transport ministries of the People’s Republic of China. more »

Excessive Deficit Procedure steps: the Stability and Growth Pact as the anchor for fiscal exit strategies

Under the budgetary surveillance powers conferred by the EU Treaty, the European Commission today proposed to the Council to set 2013 as the deadline for the correction of the budget deficits in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Netherlands and Portugal. more »

World Bank and Moldova Join Forces to Fight Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture

A joint partnership between the World Bank, the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry and the Ministry of Environment was launched in Moldova’s capital in the late days of October. more »

World Bank Group President Zoellick Launches Global Urban Strategy at Inaugural Infrastructure Finance Summit

World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today joins senior officials from the Government of Singapore to launch a new global urban strategy that will guide Bank advisory services and financing in the sector over the next decade. more »