Car Industry: innovation boost necessary to maintain Europe's leading role in the sector.

"All European industry is going through an extremely difficult period. Furthermore, the perspectives are not so encouraging, especially in some key sectors such as the automotive and steel sectors. We therefore welcome the CARS 2020 Action Plan for the automotive industry adopted today by the European Commission as an important tool to boost the competitiveness of one of our most important manufacturing industries with a more than 700 billion Euro turnover", said Amalia Sartori MEP, Chairwoman of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee of the European Parliament.

"The Action Plan is focused on internal and external issues, with particular attention paid to innovation and investments needed in advanced technologies, to trade, harmonisation and internationalisation aspects and to the smart regulation we need to promote the recovery and re-launch of this crucial sector which provides over 12 million jobs. These four key actions will certainly be followed up in the Industry, Research and Energy Committee in the European Parliament. We have asked and pushed for this Action Plan and we want to see it implemented as soon as possible", she added.

The aim of CARS 2020 is to promote investment in advanced technologies and innovation for clean vehicles, improve market conditions and support the car industry in the global market. The Plan is expected to turn round the trend of decline in car sales in the EU which is forecast to be 8% this year, the fifth conscutive year of decline. The industry is the largest private investor in R&D with around 30 billion Euro in 2010.

"While implementing the measures indicated in the four pillars of the automotive plan, we have to continue working towards the creation of the necessary conditions to also support other sectors that are going through huge difficulties, such as the steel sector", concluded Mrs Sartori.