EU and US auto industry bodies recognised for promoting free trade
Brussels, 28 November 2013 – The work of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and in particular its cooperation with its US counterpart on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) has been recognised this week.
The ‘Automotive All Stars’ award for Government Affairs was conferred by influential auto-industry news outlet Automotive World to Ivan Hodac and Matt Blunt. Mr Hodac, who was Secretary General of ACEA from 2001 until October 2013, was instrumental in pushing through cooperation on the trade deal.
He worked closely with Mr Blunt, who is President of the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC), to foster close collaboration between the industry on both sides of the Atlantic, for instance by submitting joint comments listing regulations that members of their respective associations felt could be aligned.
This is line with ACEA’s commitment to promoting free trade deals that are fair and balanced. Exchange of automotive parts and whole vehicles accounts for a large portion of EU-US trade. A third of the estimated total potential rise in trade between the two economic poles associated with a successful TTIP negotiation would be expected to come from this sector.
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €79.5 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Almost 8% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €58.8 billion in R&D spending annually, 32% of EU total
