ACEM calls for globally harmonised standards and elimination of "trade-disruptive environments"
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| The 10th annual ACEM Conference was moderated by Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive of the European Policy Centre, and included contributions from (left to right) Bernd Lange, MEP; Wim van de Camp, MEP; Jacques Compagne, ACEM secretary General; Stephan Schaller, ACEM President (BWM Motorrad President); Peter Balas, Deputy Director General at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade; Carlo Pettinelli, European Commission's Director for Industrial Policy and Economic Analysis |
The 10th ACEM annual conference in Brussels (January 29th) was titled "A Global Vision for the Powered Two wheel market" - the focus was on the opportunities and barriers for European motorcycle and component manufacturers seeking to compensate for lost domestic European sales through access to international markets.
ACEM (the Motorcycle Industry European Association) attracted more than 130 attendees representing businesses, EU policy makers and national administrations. The discussions addressed the challenges faced by the motorcycle sector in the EU, the opportunities created by emerging economies and how EU trade and industrial policy can effectively support the sector.
ACEM presented provisional 2013 statistics for the powered-two-wheelers (PTW) sector. The figures clearly showed that the motorcycle industry still faces a critical situation with sales and registrations of PTWs going down for six consecutive years (between 2008 and 2013), with historically large Southern European PTW markets such as Italy, France, Spain and Greece having been severely hit by the financial and economic crisis.
ACEM's thesis is that while new business opportunities for European motorcycle and component producers are arising in emerging markets (such as China, India and Vietnam), with some successfully establishing operations in emerging international markets, they and many others remain concerned about critical regulatory obstacles such as excessive import duties and other strategic non-tariff barriers.
As the President of ACEM Stephan Schaller (CEO BMW Motorrad) pointed out “Emerging economies offer enormous opportunities for growth, unfortunately market conditions are not always fair for European businesses”.
ACEM say that "the harmonisation of technical regulations across regions is essential. The adoption of global standards, particularly within the framework of UNECE [United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Geneva], would significantly improve the overall competitiveness of the motorcycle industry."
ACEM say that the EU needs to focus on reinforcing "Europe’s manufacturing base fully in line with the Commission’s recent communication on a European Industrial Renaissance."
However, ACEM fears that to be successful, this process must "take into account the specific conditions of extra-EU developing economies, which represent today around 90% of the world’s market."
ACEM says it supports a global vision for the PTW market, one in which "adequate regulatory and trade conditions benefit both industry and consumers." As ACEM President Stephan Schaller went on to say “industrial policy must comprise smart and harmonized regulations, access to the markets, and fair competition. ACEM will continue to closely with EU Institutions to promote and achieve this important objective”.
ACEM membership consists of 14 powered two wheeler (PTW) manufacturers who produce more than PTW 30 brands, plus 18 of Europe's national motorcycle trade associations (in 15 countries). ACEM says that the aggregated turnover of the PTW sector in Europe (manufacturing, plus upstream and downstream activities) amounted to Euro 27 billion in 2011, employing some 125,000 people, with their membership accounting for 90% of the European powered two-wheeler, tricycle and quadricycle production.
ACEM's members are eying opportunities in growing markets such as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam as among those that offer the best prospects. It is in this context that ACEM called on the EU to "strive to remove existing barriers and other regulatory obstacles, thereby creating the conditions for a level playing field.
"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. 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."
www.acem.eu
