Campaign “cautiously optimistic of level playing field for everyone”

The UK Right to Repair Campaign (UK R2RC) has welcomed the EU's recent proposal for a new 'Competition Law Framework applicable to the motor vehicle sector'.

It is extremely encouraged by the Commission's focus on the aftermarket and its clear recognition of, and wish to remove, the consumer detriment that has arisen from gaps in the present framework, particularly mentioning 'abuse of warranties'.

Jim Mazza, Chairman of UK R2RC, said: “The UK R2RC Strategy Group is cautiously optimistic that the ultimate outcome will be a level playing field for everyone in the repair and maintenance arena, which will ensure freedom of choice for motorists.

“However”, he added, “there is no room for complacency. Although the issues are clearly identified, there is no detail of how they will be dealt with. The new legislation must clearly address core requirements, such as access to technical information, training and tools, access to commissioning codes, access to captive parts and the loophole created by the use of extended insurance backed warranties. UK R2RC would strongly support a robust aftermarket-specific Block Exemption Regulation (BER) dealing with these core issues, backed by supplementary guidelines.

"UK R2RC will consider the Communication in detail and submit its comments to the Commission before the deadline of 25 September, 2009. We hope that individual R2RC supporters will also respond to the Commission,” he said.