European Union lays out 10-year plan for auto industry

The European Union's CAR 21 group recently developed a 10-year roadmap for its auto industry, with an emphasis on regulatory reform to help Europe's car industry better compete both at home and abroad.

Among the suggestions are simplifying the EU's regulatory framework into something more common across the region, moving up the implementation of Euro 5 emission limits, and developing a self-certification program where (presumably) automakers would be allowed to test and certify the compliance of their own parts (as is done in the US) instead of having the verification performed by a third-party lab. Additional regulation was also suggested that would force the adaptation of stability control, brake assist, seatbelt reminders, standardized child seat mounting, and daytime running lamps.

The group does not favor protectionism and views a return to profitability at home and further development into non-EU countries as being key to Europe's car industry.