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European Council for Automotive R&D

EUCAR

EUCAR is the European Council for Automotive R&D of the major European passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Ekaterina Zaharieva (Commissioner) and

19 Mar 2025 · Industrial Action Plan for the European automotive sector and competitiveness of the sector

Response to Options for support for R&D of dual-use technologies

30 Apr 2024

EUCAR Position on EU-level Research and Development Support Involving Technologies with Dual-use Potential Introduction In line with the Joint Communication on a European Economic Security Strategy from 2023, the European Commission presented several initiatives in January 2024. As part of this, the EC launched a public consultation on EU-level research and development (R&D) support involving technologies with dual-use potential. A white paper reviews the current relevant EU funding programmes and assesses whether this support requires adaptation, regarding existing and emerging geopolitical challenges (outlined in the European Economic Security Strategy). Currently, innovation activities carried out under Horizon Europe should focus on civil applications, while research carried out under the European Defence Fund (EDF) should focus exclusively on defence applications. This implies that legally civil and defence research and development activities are treated as entirely separate fields, targeting substantially different stakeholder communities, with different rules, different purposes and different market applications. The scope of R&D support involving technologies with dual-use potential is aimed at addressing the gap between exclusively civil and exclusively defence R&D activities, in particular on critical and emerging technologies. EUCAR Position In this context, EUCAR recognizes and supports the need to increase the Economic Security of the EU. However, the EU should not only protect and strengthen technologies, research results and the economy by enhancing security measures but also preserve efficient research collaboration, specifically in the European Partnerships. EUCAR appreciates the existing successful and efficient separation of civil and military research in the framework of Horizon Europe and the European Defence Fund. The current status of automobile products (cars, vans, busses, trucks) as a civil non-military good is important and should be kept. Legal certainty is needed that these products are not affected by introducing dual-use funding mechanisms (as proposed in options 1, 2, 3). In cases where new technological development in research and innovation actions is clearly dedicated towards civilian use cases, using this technology in products, irrespective of dual-use potential, should not have negative effects in terms of Export Control legislation. In this context a clear definition of dual-use potential, and how products or their components are legally affected, is needed. Clear separation for R&D support of civil research, military research and research on technologies with dual-use potential is recommended. Research and innovation actions benefit from open collaboration with excellent researchers all over the EU and associated countries. This efficient collaboration for civil purposes should be kept, knowing that for sensitive technological areas with dual-use potential, precautionary measures might be needed. Synopsis We acknowledge the lack of suitable instruments and the need for improving synergies between EU programmes to address the geo-political necessity following a new European Economic Security Strategy. Making the best use of EU R&I programmes, the above-mentioned points support all European stakeholders that are participating in these programmes and operate or conduct business in Europe. When EU decision-makers focus on increasing European security, they must do so without hampering research and innovation. EUCAR looks forward to supporting this discussion.
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Meeting with Aleksandra Baranska (Cabinet of Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič)

29 Feb 2024 · Automotive industry

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

17 Nov 2020 · Opening speech at General Assembly

Meeting with Jean-Eric Paquet (Director-General Research and Innovation)

8 Jul 2020 · Relevance of the 2ZERO and the CCAM partnerships to the Automotive Industry

Response to European Partnership for Safe and Automated Road Transport

1 Aug 2019

The European Council for Automotive R&D (EUCAR), representing the major European automobile manufacturers in their common research activities, welcomes the progress made towards an agreement for the next framework programme Horizon Europe. For the key challenges of Connected Automated Mobility (CAM or CCAM) and self-driving vehicles, EUCAR calls for a co-programmed partnership (option 1) across industry sectors and value chains: • The co-programmed partnership will enable quick and timely research actions; the institutionalised partnership (based on Article 187 TFEU) inherently will take longer time. Europe cannot afford to lose the global innovation race. We must accelerate R&I programmes, especially when it comes to digitalisation of road transport. With shorter innovation cycles and increasingly fast-acting competition from countries like the United States and China, Europe needs to accelerate both research and the time-to-market. • Increased agility and flexibility of programme and projects. Due to the increased demands on the industry’s constantly evolving business environment, it is crucial to improve the agility and flexibility of R&I programme implementation in order to deliver results in time and with the available resources and funding. The rigid structure of an institutionalised partnership will not fulfil this requirement. • Reduce administrative burdens for the setting up and executing the R&I programme as much as possible. Lower administration efforts are clearly favouring a co-programmed partnership for R&I in Connected Automated Mobility. Digitalisation and automation are both innovation drivers for the automotive industry and decisive factors for the future mobility of citizens in Europe. EUCAR is committed to achieve safer, cleaner, smarter and more efficient transport solutions by further emphasising collaborative research in Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM): • CAM technologies will support the Vision Zero targets set for 2050 by decreasing the number of road fatalities and accidents. • CAM contributes to reducing transport emissions and congestion, while ensuring inclusive mobility for persons and goods. • CAM will provide individual mobility to all users; in particular elderly and people with disabilities. • CAM will have a remarkable economic impact ensuring long-term European growth and jobs. • CAM will enable new mobility concepts shifting design & development from a driver-centred to mobility-user-centred approach. EUCAR’s ambition for R&I in CAM is to accelerate the implementation of Connected Automated Vehicles significantly; advance the technological competitiveness of the automotive industry; and maintain its position as a significant employer in Europe.
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