ACEA – EUCAR meet with Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation

On 19 March 2025, Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General, ACEA and Stefan Deix, Director EUCAR, had a good meeting with Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva.

Automotive manufacturing in Europe is a vital engine for European prosperity, supporting over 13 million direct and indirect jobs and contributing approximately €1 trillion to our gross domestic product. It accounts for a third of private R&D investment in the EU, with around  €73 billion spent annually.

As leading investors in research and innovation, the EUCAR members see 2025 as the year for bold actions to enhance EU competitiveness and bridge the innovation gap. We must prioritise impact and facilitate large-scale innovation initiatives with substantial industrial participation: speed, simplicity, and agility – fit for a rapidly evolving and globally competitive environment.

EUCAR welcomes the Commission’s proposal to establish a dedicated automotive innovation partnership. All future vehicles in road transport benefit from the integration of new technologies (e.g. AI, software-defined vehicles, chips, batteries). Also, the action plan is a positive starting point to jointly elaborate on key automotive innovation challenges and the most appropriate framework conditions to address them.

EUCAR’s Perspective on the Future of Automotive R&I in Europe highlights the view of vehicle manufacturers on competitiveness and innovation. The EUCAR Members and our stakeholder communities appreciate the immediate actions and look forward to aligning our initiatives. Industry priorities and needs should drive the focus areas and R&I roadmaps.