A4-0052/97

Resolution on the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 'European Automobile Industry 1996" (COM(96)0327 - C4-0493/96)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the communication from the Commission (COM(96)0327 - C4- 0493/96),

- having regard to its resolution of 21 September 1995 on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on 'The Automobile Industry - Current Situation, Challenges, Strategy for the Future and Proposals for Action¨ ((OJ C 269, 16.10.1995, p. 149.)),

- having regard to the report of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and Industrial Policy and the opinion of the Committee on Transport and Tourism (A4-0052/97),

A. whereas a dynamic and successful Automobile Industry makes a vital contribution to growth and employment in Europe - accounting for almost 2% of total GDP and 1.8 million jobs in the EU, and generating directly or indirectly an amount of public revenue of ECU 220 billion, equivalent to its total turnover (ECU 230 billion),

B. whereas the 6.5% growth in car registrations in 1996, albeit higher than was originally expected, is still well below the levels of the late eighties and early nineties,

C. whereas the Automobile Industry in Europe still faces the twin challenge of developing high quality products that are cleaner, safer, more efficient and reliable than ever before, and ensuring the continued modernisation of the industry to improve its levels of productivity and international competitiveness,

D. whereas this competitiveness is however hindered by the high cost of essential inputs such as transport, energy and telecommunications in comparison with other parts of the world,

E. whereas the automobile industry plays an important part in terms of intra- Community relocations and their regional, social and economic repercussions, particularly on employment,

F. whereas the automobile and related component industries in partnership with the Commission and Member States must continue to raise levels of investment in research and technological development and increase their efforts to develop the 'car of tomorrow¨,

G. whereas the continued decline in levels of employment in the automobile and related industries requires a strong commitment to increased investment in the levels of education and skills of the workforce,

H. concerned at the limited missions of the Commission's Task Force on the Car of Tomorrow in view of the diversity of the investment and R& D challenges facing the automobile industry and of the crucial role of this task force to maintain the competitiveness of the industry and to provide a focal point for collaboration and solidarity within the industry,

1. Calls on the Commission to develop a specific strategy for the European automobile industry, in particular by:

(a) extending the scope of the existing Task Force on the Car of Tomorrow beyond a minor coordination role to a strategic function tackling issues of industrial competitiveness as well as environmental and safety technologies,

(b) ensuring that the Task Force fully explores near- and medium-term emission reduction technologies such as lean burn, direct injection petrol engines and hybrid vehicles and related emission control technologies which offer great potential to raise fuel economy and reduce harmful emissions, as well as economically viable technological alternatives to the combustion engine so as to reduce Europe's energy dependence on oil as well as combating the environmental damage caused by CO2,

(c) securing adequate funding for the Task Force and, in particular, including it within the ¨strategic actions' of the Fifth framework programme for research and development,

(d) establishing a High Level Panel made up of senior representatives of the automobile and component industries, trades unions, and user groups which can advise on the Commission's overall strategy for the automobile sector and, in particular, assist in the coordination and prioritising of relevant legislative initiatives, including also the upcoming review of the implementation and efficiency of the block exemption on car distribution and servicing agreements;

2. States that the best technologies are of little use as long as they are not widely employed in society and therefore calls on the Commission to propose a clear and comprehensive political framework in order to foster the market- spread of clean cars;

3. Calls on the Commission to build on the successful EU-US Roundtable on the Automobile Industry held in Washington DC in April 1996 by encouraging greater efforts to harmonise vehicle safety and environmental standards at levels consistent with Article 100a of the EC Treaty and, in particular, by:

(a) supporting a further revision of the 1958 Agreement of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on Motor Vehicle Standards to ensure that the Agreement becomes a fully global forum which accepts a high base for consumer safety and environmental protection,

(b) ensuring that any new proposals for international harmonised vehicle standards concerning safety and the environment under consideration by UNECE Working Party 29 and its relevant expert groups are drawn to the attention of the European Parliament and that Parliament's opinion is sought by the Commission and the Council before decisions are taken within the Council Committees established under Article 113 EC and before any such proposals are proposed as Draft Directives or Technical Amendments under the procedure for adaptation to technical progress;

4. Calls on the Commission to promote a global policy for the automobile industry within this revised UNECE Agreement which takes account of the impact on the European industry's competitiveness within world markets through the use of cost-effectiveness analysis when appropriate;

5. Calls on the Commission to encourage investment and strong competition throughout international automobile markets in particular by:

(a) continuing to apply fully the June 1995 agreement on automobiles with Japan to ensure fair and stable trading conditions during the transition to the progressive opening of the European Union automobile market,

(b) continuing to improve market access and investment opportunities in third markets for both automobile and components manufacturers, especially in the emerging markets of South East Asia, Latin America and, particularly, South Korea and Japan,

(c) continuing to support the modernisation and restructuring of the industries of the countries of central and eastern Europe and, during their pre-accession phase, the rapid alignment of their legislation with the requirements of the internal market and in particular the technical requirements for European vehicle type-approval;

6. Expresses concern at the problem of relocation as evidenced in the Renault cases; reaffirms the importance of introducing measures to monitor intra- Community relocations;

7. Reaffirms the importance of the Structural Funds, particularly as regards the creation of basic infrastructure and the promotion of vocational training, with a view to improving productivity and reducing transport costs at Community level;

8. Calls on the Commission to increase its efforts to support investment in education and training within the automobile and components industries and to make greater use of the Community's financial resources under the Adapt, Socrates, and Leonardo Da Vinci vocational training programmes to support innovative training projects within major companies and SMEs and, in particular, by involving social partners more fully in the design and implementation of EU funded training programmes and by supporting the network established by the automotive industry associations ACEA and CLEPA;

9. Calls on the employers to respect fully the rights of workers to be informed and consulted before making any final decision concerning the future of their company or parts of it in order to avoid collective redundancies and to give worker representatives the opportunity to develop alternative employment and social plans;

10. Believes that any strategy for the automobile industry must be informed by wider considerations of environmentally sustainable transport and mobility in Europe;

11. Believes that since the Commission is supporting research projects under the fourth research programme and via the 'Car of Tomorrow' Task Force, the following research areas should be encouraged as a priority:

- new technologies in the field of emissions and fuel consumption,

- motor electronics,

- improvements to vehicle safety, including improved safety for vehicle occupants, pedestrians and cyclists,

- electric and hybrid vehicles,

- light-weight vehicle structures and materials,

- optimization of production techniques,

- recycling of old vehicles,

- telematics, in accordance with Parliament's resolution of 29 June 1995 on the Commission communication to the Council and the European Parliament on telematics applications for transport in Europe ((OJ C 183, 17.7.1995, p. 30.));

12. Calls on the Commission to take into consideration the high external costs of road traffic - referred to in the Commission Green Paper (Fair and efficient pricing in the transport sector) - and the long-term consequences thereof on the structure and technology of the automobile industry;

13. Calls on the Commission to continue to monitor its Regulation (EC) No. 1475/95 of 28 June 1995 on the application of Article 85(3) of the Treaty to certain categories of motor vehicle distribution and servicing agreements ((OJ L 145, 29.6.1995, p. 25.)) with regard to the selective and exclusive distribution of cars and in particular the application and effectiveness of Article 6 to ensure that all interested parties have access to any and all diagnostic and repair information, in particular, including the fault codes of on-board diagnostic systems, and that technical information is not withheld improperly to the detriment of independent repairers, parts makers, and consumers; deplores the continued lack of implementation and misuse of the letter and spirit of Regulation 1475/95 by car producers and car importers vis-à-vis car dealers and consumers; requests the Commission to put an end to this practice;

14. Calls on the Commission to support a major European-wide public information campaign to warn parents of the dangers of using child-restraint systems in the front seats of cars equipped with passenger side airbags, and asks the Commission to investigate the development of 'smart¨ airbags that adjust acceleration rates to the needs of the individual driver;

15. Calls on the Commission to issue a proposal for consolidating the existing 56 Directives relating to the manufacturing of automobiles into one single consolidated text;

16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.