Skip to main content

Eucar calls for targeted support for automotive research and innovation initiatives

The European Council for Automotive R&D (Eucar) has called for a number of priority automotive research and innovation (R&I) initiatives in Horizon 2020 to support competitive and sustainable road transport and for these initiatives to be supported by a substantial budget that reflects the sector’s social and economic contribution to Europe. Rémi Bastien, chairman of Eucar, set out the association’s recommendations on Horizon 2020 to an audience of MEPs and stakeholders at a seminar in the European Parliame
June 21, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The European Council for Automotive Research & Development (Eucar) has called for a number of priority automotive research and innovation (R&I) initiatives in Horizon 2020 to support competitive and sustainable road transport and for these initiatives to be supported by a substantial budget that reflects the sector’s social and economic contribution to Europe.

Rémi Bastien, chairman of Eucar, set out the association’s recommendations on Horizon 2020 to an audience of MEPs and stakeholders at a seminar in the European Parliament. Horizon 2020 is the EU’s Framework Programme for Research & Innovation from 2014-2020. Presenting the recommendations, Bastien highlighted the importance of Horizon 2020 for automotive R&I.

He called for the proposed €80 billion (US$101.32 billion) Horizon 2020 budget to be maintained and for the legislation to be finalised as soon as possible.

To support automotive R&I effectively, Eucar says a suitable budget for automotive initiatives in Horizon 2020 is necessary. This should reflect the automotive industry’s direct contribution of 6.9 per cent to European GDP and road transport’s status as a cornerstone of European society, free movement and economic activity. Eucar therefore calls for a budget share of Horizon 2020 to be devoted to automotive R&I initiatives, which corresponds to the industry's direct contribution to the EU economy, saying it is essential to support the objectives of smarter, cleaner, safer and more integrated road transport and to support the global competitiveness of the European automotive sector.

Related Content

  • ‘Shining moment of opportunity for tolling’
    May 5, 2021
    Climate change is already affecting tolling operations in many parts of the world. IBTTA’s Bill Cramer explains how the sector can be seen as a proven funding and financing mechanism for surface transportation
  • Continued impact of TEN-T programme
    November 29, 2012
    The Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) launched for the second year running a campaign aimed at showcasing successfully implemented TEN-T projects. The “ten (more) out of TEN” campaign highlights ten additional TEN-T projects whose successful implementation has yielded regional, national and European added value and which are helping to complete the TEN-T network.
  • Slow development of Europe's road user charging
    April 24, 2013
    Delegates convened in Brussels for Europe’s 10th annual Road User Charging Conference in March, when both positive and negative developments came to light for advocates of more widespread introduction of RUC. Jon Masters reports. Goings on across Europe in recent months have again demonstrated how very sensitive road user charging (RUC) is politically. At the 10th annual Road User Charging Conference in Brussels at the beginning of March, a Danish delegation was notable for its absence, but Belgian governme
  • A carbon free and accident free Europe by 2015?
    February 2, 2012
    By 2050, the Europe Commission aims to make transport in Europe carbon- and accident-free. Between now and then, however, a significant technological development and deployment effort is needed. Here, Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, talks about what's being done. In many respects, COOPERS, CVIS and SAFESPOT, set up by the European Commission (EC) to explore the potential of cooperative infrastructure systems, are already legacy projects. Between them, the three devel