Brussels – The European Tyre Manufacturers Association (ETRMA) has issued its Annual Activity Report 2013-2014, which highlights its activities to ensure the competitiveness of European tire companies over the past year.
The ever demanding regulatory environment has clearly been a dominant theme for the ETRMA – as evidenced by its work on the deployment of tire labels, TPMS (tire pressure monitoring systems) and minimum performance requirements.
The report also highlights the growing impact of the EU’s REACH chemical safety legislation on the rubber industry, as well as efforts to ensure the long-term, sustainable supply of natural rubber and other raw materials.
Industry competitiveness is an equally important challenge identified in the review. This detailed ETRMA’s efforts to ensure a “level playing field” for EU tire makers particularly through better enforcement of existing EU and WTO regulations.
During the study period, ETRMA noted that there were close to 20 technical barriers to trade notified through WTO with many more not even notified
“This constitutes a significant burden and barrier to fair access to third markets,” said the Brussels-based Association.
Another EU regulation with extensive consequences on the international competitiveness is the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS).
Measures are in place to mitigate the direct impact of the ETS. However these, said the report, do not make up for the extra energy costs the European tyre industry has to meet as a result of the scheme.
“This further worsens an already difficult situation within the European internal energy market, where big differences still exist in energy price between different Member States,” the ETRMA noted .
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