ETRMA expects ‘change in tone’ from EU regulators

Hanover, Germany – The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) expects to see a change in "tone and attitude" from European policy makers over the coming months.

After years of focus on the 'green deal', sustainability and circularity, regulators are now aware that EU industry is under immense pressure, explained ETRMA secretary general Adam McCarthy.

“We are talking about de-industrialisation in Europe and the European Commission (EC) has realised that,” McCarthy said in a presentation during the Tire Technology EXpo conference in Hanover.

“It’s tough out there: we are a people-intensive industry, a capital-intensive industry and, what is really harmful at the moment, an energy-intensive industry,” he stated.

But, reported the ETRMA leader, manufacturing industries, including the tire & rubber sector, are starting to notice an increased focus on issues impacting competitiveness.

For instance, he said, the European Commission is now seeking to address the challenges posed by energy costs, which are significantly higher than elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, last week saw a series of proposals aimed at improving the competitiveness of EU industry via changes to state-aid and public procurement frameworks.

Such moves could provide an opportunity "for the tire industry to push for the [procurement of] better environmentally performing tires,” said the presenter.

There were also proposed measures to support 'clean' technology and electrification by European authorities, according to McCarthy.

Also promising was the imminent release of an automotive action plan, based on a strategic dialogue that has been going on since January between the EU and the car industry.

And later in the year, ETRMA expects to see legislation focused on the European single market and the removal of trade barriers, said McCarthy.

Industry, he said, has also been encouraged by initiatives to reduce the bureaucratic burden of compliance with EC legislation, including within the chemicals industry.