ACEA Condemns Proposal to Abolish Design Rights for Spare Parts

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association has criticised the European Commission’s decision to adopt the proposal prepared by Commissioner Bolkestein (Internal Market) aimed at abolishing design protection rights for automotive spare parts across the EU. The ACEA strongly believes that if approved, this measure would have a serious impact on the competitiveness of the European industry, and claims that the proposal has no clear benefits for the consumer.

ACEA also objects to the procedure used by DG Internal Market, believing that the proposal was put through without carrying out a “serious impact assessment” and without “proper consultation of the automotive industry.” The association also claims that the legal obligation contained in the current designs directive was ignored.

According to the association its concerns lie with the possible impact on the jobs and revenues of European car and parts manufacturers and suppliers, and suggest that the proposal may be to the sole benefit of parts copiers outside the EU, mainly Taiwan. The risk that European consumers will have less safe and lower quality parts installed on their vehicles if copy parts are not subjected to any safety testing has also been raised by ACEA.

Commenting on the decision, Ivan Hodac, secretary general of ACEA, stated: “This proposal is clearly at odds with everything the EU is currently trying to achieve with regard to industry competitiveness under the Lisbon Agenda. Moreover, the way it has been adopted and the lack of consideration for the arguments and data provided by our industry do not serve the objectives of good governance and better lawmaking that the Commission has set to itself. We will continue to present our arguments and we hope that the European Parliament and the EU Council will address in a more balanced and rigorous way the significant issues linked with this proposal”.