The Motor Vehicle Block Exemption is the package of EU competition rules that apply to franchised repair, maintenance, and spare parts distribution networks in the automotive sector; they set the framework for how aftermarket competition between the OEM-authorised and independent sectors should work and be enforced, and also have things to say about how new car sales agreements operate. The current MVBER rules are set to expire in May 2028 but, whilst this may feel a long way away, the process of reviewing how well the current arrangements have worked and preparing the ground for their replacement has already been kicked off by the European Commission with a ‘call for evidence’ over the Summer, and a parallel ongoing data gathering study.
ICDP has tracked the MVBER and its related frameworks closely over many years, and in this webinar, we will bring you fully up to date on the story so far:
We will give a reminder of how Block Exemption regulations work within EU competition policy, and recap over the driving objective of the MVBER, which is to safeguard aftermarket competition between OEM-authorised networks and independent players
We will summarise the limited changes that were introduced into the current MVBER framework, focused on recognising the growing role and importance of vehicle-generated data to the aftermarket
We will look at the submissions that have been made by industry players to the ‘call for evidence’ – overall, they point to a gradual weakening of aftermarket competition which may need to be addressed, and also to a continued gap between the rules as written and practice on the ground, especially when it comes to independent sector access to the spare parts, technical information, and data that they need to be able to do their job
We will conclude on the next steps in the European Commission’s review, and give our view on what we feel will be the key issues in the debate.
This webinar will be of interest to all those involved in aftersales network strategy and spare parts distribution on both the OEM-authorised and independent sides of the aftermarket. It will run for 90 minutes.
If you would like to attend, please send an email to projectoffice@icdp.net