IDN spoke with ACEM's Secretary General Antonio Perlot, and asked him to further detail the organisation's policy positions as they affect the EU response to the impact that the Covid-19 emergency is undoubtedly having, and will continue to have, on all aspects of the motorcycle industry in Europe.
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| ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot: "Public health and safety is the number one priority." |
Does ACEM officially demand a postponement of the sell-off of Euro 4 motorcycles?
Yes, this is correct. Our main concern relates to the seasonal nature of the motorcycle market, where the bulk of sales are made between March and July. All manufacturers' and dealers' stocks are full, with little hope to absorb them by the end of the year. We also expect disruptions in the development and manufacturing of Euro 4 and Euro 5 vehicles.
Type approval authorities, technical services, engineering, R&D centres, parts suppliers, logistics and manufacturing plants have either stopped activities or are operating at a very low level. Since the end date for Euro 4 is set for 31/12/2020 by legislation, ACEM requests a one-year extension to be able to sell Euro 4 stock vehicles as a first immediate measure to support the sector. The industry is closely monitoring the evolution of the situation and is ready to engage with policy makers should additional measures be necessary.
And if so, do you/does ACEM already have signals from the European Commission if they are willing to do so or not?
For the moment the European Commission is working on an extensive assessment of all industries' disruptions. This concerns the motorcycle industry, but also many other segments of the automotive sector.
We are in constant discussions with the Commission at a technical and the highest political level to give them the most accurate picture of the situation. We understand that the member states have been called upon to give feedback to the Commission, and from the latest information we gathered, many of them do support our request.
In general, what other steps could or should the EC take to ease the impact of Covid-19 on the European motorcycle industry?
For the moment our main concern, on the economic side, is to deal with the Euro 4 stock in light of the Euro 4 end date at the end of this year. We must understand that crisis situations are by their very nature very dynamic, hence the need to constantly assess the economic situation of our manufacturers, but also of the entire chain of operators working with us: importers, dealers, parts manufacturers, logistic centres, technical centres, registration authorities, type approval authorities etc.
We know that the European Commission is looking after us and does its utmost to support the sector in these difficult times. Let's work together, assess the evolution of the situation, and think of all possible measures that can stabilise the market for the benefit of all, citizens, consumers and market operators. One step at a time.
