Rockwood Public Affairs

Rockwood Public Affairs offers a full range of services to support the public affairs and communication requirements of our clients.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Digital package – digital omnibus

14 Oct 2025

Please see attached submission on behalf of Digital Business Ireland (submitted via Rockwood Public Affairs).
Read full response

Response to Clean corporate vehicles

6 Sept 2025

Mobility Partnership Ireland (MPI) is a coalition of leading companies operating in the sustainable transport and shared mobility sector in Ireland. Membership is comprised of commercial companies who provide bike hire, car sharing, vehicle rental, taxis, bus services and payment solution services. 1. Proposals for EV mandates for corporate fleets MPI supports the decarbonisation of car-rental and car-sharing fleets. However, the introduction of purchase mandates for corporate fleets would be the wrong approach to achieving this objective. An EV mandates for fleets would damage the economics of rental operations, leading to: Longer vehicle holding times, slower replenishment rate and less new car buys from European vehicle manufacturers. Less flow of vehicles into the secondary market. Recourse to high-volume, cheaper vehicle options, notably from China. Shrinking rental fleets, less available mobility and higher prices. The European Commission has advised that it cannot distinguish between different fleet types in the proposed regulation - meaning the regulation cannot account for the specific operational and demand challenges faced by the rental sector. On this basis, MPI opposes the proposal for EV mandates for corporate fleets. 2. Member State fiscal measures to support increased ZEV uptake in car-rental and car-sharing fleets while supporting the necessary enabling conditions MPI believes that Member State fiscal measures represent the most effective approach to achieving increased ZEV (BEV) uptake in corporate fleets. MPI believes that EU law must facilitate and require that member state incentive schemes be made available to car-rental and car-sharing operators to support their ZEV (BEV) acquisition and to support increased shared mobility ZEVs (BEVs) use. In particular, MPI calls on the European Commission to: i. Propose an amendment to the EU VAT Directive to allow for application of a zero or reduced rate of VAT to ZEV (BEV) rental, including as part of car-sharing and shared-mobility services. Furthermore, the application of a zero or reduced rate of VAT to the ZEV (BEV) rental should not be subject to any limitations in terms of the number of days in the year for which the application of a zero or reduced rate of VAT could be applied, i.e., there should be no differentiation between long-term and short-term rental. ii. Propose a provision requiring Member States to introduce grant schemes to support car-rental and car-sharing operators with the costs of ZEV (BEV). In Ireland, the Government already provides an e-SPSV grant scheme to support taxi operators to transition to ZEV (BEV). Expansion of such schemes to car-rental and car-sharing operators would represent a tangible and effective measure to support ZEV (BEV) take-up. 3. Additional Comments At the same time, it is important to ensure the necessary enabling conditions for BEVs are in place including a comprehensive infrastructure, financing and power capacity upgrade plan across Europe and Ireland. In particular, Dublin Airport will have a vital role in determining the ability of vehicle rental and car sharing operators to adopt BEVs. Other relevant associations in Ireland, including the Car Rental Council, have highlighted the specific points in relation to this topic and we align ourselves with those observations.
Read full response