ETRMA highlights threats facing tire manufacturers in Europe

Brussels – The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers' Association (ETRMA) has warned that the tire and rubber sector faces “significant challenges” maintaining a competitive manufacturing presence in Europe.

The statement was included within the Brussels-based industry body’s response to the European Commission public consultation on the Single Market Strategy.

“The tire and rubber sector is crucial for the automotive sector and the mobility ecosystem at large,” commented ETRMA in its release. 

“As with many other industries in the automotive value-chain, high energy, labour and raw material costs, paired with strong price competition from tires produced outside the EU, have negatively impacted the competitiveness of the tire industry.”

The organisation has submitted a series of recommendations intended to create a legislative environment "conducive to a gain in competitiveness".

This would help reduce bureaucratic red tape but also promote a broader action plan for the automotive industry within the EU single market, it argued.

ETRMA’s recommendations addressed barriers to free movement of goods and services, regulatory/administrative challenges, and governance and enforcement of Single Market rules.

Target areas include:

• Promotion of best-graded tires
• Tackling high energy costs
• Sector-specific regulation for access to in-vehicle data
• Support for industrial value chain, upskilling and reskilling
• Fair and open access to global markets
• Prioritising global standards ands avoiding double regulation

Promotion of best-performing tires should be encouraged via public procurement and consumer incentives, said the organisation. 

This could help increase road safety and decrease CO₂ emissions by 4 million tonnes a year – equivalent to removing 1.3 million passenger cars from EU roads annually.

Financial and regulatory incentives were also needed to address downstream industries' high energy costs.

In addition, ETRMA highlighted the issue of the rising costs of tire production in Europe, saying that the problem had further impacted competitiveness.

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