London, United Kingdom — In a quick peek at the right to repair movement’s European front, organizations representing the EU’s repair and aftermarket industries are calling for certain competition regulations to be modernized in alignment with advancements made in automotive technology and data collection over the past ten years.
The European Commission is due to discuss the future of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation (MVBER) in January, ahead of its scheduled expiration date on May 31, 2023, and, according to a report from Reuters, proponents of the regulation in the automotive sector are coming to the table with some updates.
The regulation, which first came into effect in 2010 and was recently recommended by the European Commission to be extended by five years, is in need of a deep overhaul according to Alex Gelbcke, chief executive of parts provider Fource.
“In the last ten years things have changed dramatically, the rules of the game are no longer the same,” he said.
“The regulation deserves an in-depth refresh and if that does not happen we will all suffer.”
Sylvia Gotzen, CEO of the International Federation of Automotive Aftermarket Distributors, used more colourful language to describe the behaviour of automakers when issues of vehicle data ownership arise.
“Car manufacturers sit on that data like a chicken on eggs,” and automakers are “masters and gate-keepers for the entire repair process.”
A spokesperson for the commission said its evaluation had shown “there had been no material developments in the last decade that would justify a major revision of the regime.
“However, the evaluation revealed that an update was necessary to reflect the importance that access to vehicle-generated data is likely to have as a factor of competition.”
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said it supports the commission’s approach.
“If the commission has decided not to change the rules, we assume that the complaints made by the independent aftermarket were not sufficiently substantiated,” a spokesperson said.
While major European OEMs like Stellantis and Renault did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, Volkswagen said the current regulation “is still fit for purpose,” but said that it would support revisions that allow repairers access to “vehicle-generated data to the extent that such data is essential for repair and maintenance.”
