ACEM announces international focus at annual Brussels conference in January
 |
| At EICMA, Compagne threw Europe a 'curve-ball' - suggesting the principle of mutual recognition as an alternate barrier-reduction strategy to harmonisation of standards |
BRUSSELS based international motorcycle industry trade association ACEM has announced that its annual conference will take place on January 29th 2014.
The theme will be "A Global Vision for the Powered Two-Wheeler Market". ACEM say that "while the economic crisis is putting pressure on the entire EU motorcycle sector, new markets have sprung up in emerging countries, due to improving living conditions and growing mobility needs worldwide, the appeal of our iconic brands and our industry's high quality innovation".
ACEM are pointing to Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam as among the most promising new markets for its
members. However, they are saying that European businesses face all sorts of obstacles in foreign markets, as governments enforce rules that hinder fair competition.
It is against this backdrop that ACEM says the EU must "strive to remove existing barriers and other regulatory obstacles, thereby creating the conditions for a level
playing field".
ACEM claims that the lack of harmonisation where standards and technical specifications are concerned generates "trade disruptive environments. The creation of globally harmonised markets would benefit motorcycle production, comprising a large variety of engine capacities, styles and categories.
"A worldwide regulatory framework would increase the competitiveness of the European motorcycle sector, reducing costs, improving economies of scale, boosting export opportunities in markets across the globe, and help manufacturers roll out new technologies more quickly. It would bring considerable efficiencies with more accessible products and go hand in hand with the removal of barriers based on national requirements".
At this, the 10th ACEM conference, manufacturers and EU institutions will debate whether the way to recovery lies in creating favourable conditions for developing
manufacturing and creating jobs in Europe, or if the solution resides in exporting production facilities to third countries.
To register for the conference, visit the ACEM website
www.acem.eu
