(Finance) – La European Commission ha Once a public consultation has started on the functioning of the rules on competition applicable to vertical agreements in the framework of the automotive sector. These rules include the exemption regulation by category of the automotive sector (MVBER) and the additional guidelines regarding vertical restrictions in the agreements for the sale and repair of motor vehicles and for the distribution of spare parts for motor vehicles, both modified in April 2023, as well as the exemption regulation by category relating to vertical agreements (VBER) and the orientations on vertical restrictions, to the extent in which they are apply to the automotive sector.
There deadline provided for these rules, which help companies in the automotive sector to evaluate the compatibility of their vertical agreements with the treatise on the functioning of the European Union (tfue), is the May 31, 2028.
In parallel, on January 30, 2025 the Commission launched strategic dialogue on the future of the European automotive industry. The Commission will soon present an action planwhich will face a wide range of issues relevant to the automotive sector, which to guarantee access to talents and resources, promote technological innovation and the development of next generation vehicles and establish a foreseeable regulatory framework. The evaluation of the MVBER integrates these efforts by guaranteeing a competitive after-sales market for the automotive sector.
“With this evaluation, we want to guarantee that our antitrust regulatory framework takes into account the rapid changes that affect the automotive market, ranging from digitization to new mobility models – he said Teresa Ribera, executive vice president for a transition Clean, just and competitive – in the framework of the evaluation, it is essential to take into account the experiences of a wide range of bearers – from the builders to independent repairers – in order to have rules that promote innovation and safeguard loyal competition in the sectors of the sale, repair and maintenance of motor vehicles “.
Interested parties can submit their observations until 23 May 2025. The Commission will analyze the responses of the participants in the consultation and will publish, on the portal “of your” of the Commission, a summary of the main points that emerged and the conclusions. As part of the ongoing evaluation, the Commission will also request a response to the guarantees of the guarantees of competition. Once the evaluation is completed, the Commission will analyze the possible strategic options for the future of MVBER, within the framework of the policy processing phase, scheduled for 2026.