Putting Consumers at the Heart of Public Policy

Publication date: 30 April 2010

In the shadow of the gleaming brand new Burj Kalifa, the world’s tallest building and Dubai’s latest tourist attraction, FIA delegates were welcomed by the Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates for the 2010 FIA spring meetings.

The FIA Eurocouncil, the annual assembly of FIA clubs in Europe – 71 clubs in 47 countries – focussed in its debate on issues and challenges facing the clubs’ core asset: their membership of  mobile consumers.

“Putting consumers at the heart of public policy” was the leitmotif of the presentations which looked at various challenges and opportunities arising for FIA clubs.

In looking at current developments in the areas of tourism, road safety, electric mobility and contractual rights for mobile consumers, the objective was to underline the importance of mobility, its contribution to economic prosperity, to social well being and identify actions needed to preserve consumers’ rights to mobility in an ever changing society and economic and political environment. Demographic trends such as Europe’s ageing society, rapidly increasing urbanisation, increased awareness about climate change also need to be taken into account when considering how to achieve safe, clean, efficient and affordable mobility for all.

Tourism is a global driver of economic growth and development as was demonstrated by a presentation on tourism given by the Dubai Board of Tourism. Tourism accounts for 20% of GDP in Dubai and 6% in Europe. The many benefits offered by this global industry for both travellers (of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds) and receiving destinations must be reconciled with  the potential negative impacts of over exploitation, environmental degradation, excessive concentrations of visitors in time and place and threats to tourists’ safety (forget terrorism, the biggest risk facing all tourists is involvement in a road accident!). FIA clubs are very much aware that tourism must be sustainable to remain viable. And here, the car can and does effectively contribute to achieving this objective.  Moreover, while ensuring that tourists’ rights are upheld, remains of particular interest to FIA clubs, so does ensuring that tourists acknowledge their role in making tourism sustainable.

The road safety challenge of the coming decade both globally and regionally is a priority for the FIA. Road fatalities and injuries are a key public health issue. FIA clubs have committed themselves to providing effective support via the safe systems approach (targeting the driver, vehicle and infrastructure) for the UN decade of road safety resolution. The Eurocouncil Roadmap to Road Safety presented in the Dubai Eurocouncil confirms that citizens’ rights to safe roads are best enforced through ambitious road safety policies.

FIA clubs are active in the promotion of innovative technologies and alternative fuels aimed at making motoring affordably cleaner and efficient for mobile consumers to the benefit of the environment.  Programmes such as EcoTest (www.ecotest.eu), EcoTour, ECOWILL (www.ecodrive.org) and the FIA Make Cars Green Campaign are fully supported as means to ensure motoring in a sustainable environment. The challenge will always be to identify mobility solutions that minimise the negative environmental effects on society, promote technological innovation and appropriate use of transport systems (such as eco-driving) to reduce transport’s environmental footprint and improve its efficiency.

In view of the recent major changes in Brussels to the rules governing the European Union (the Lisbon Treaty) as well as changes to the EU institutions – a new European Parliament and European Commission – the moment is ripe for FIA clubs to underline their unique role in defending mobile consumers with the new Executive and politicians governing Europe.

A declaration based on the Eurocouncil’s deliberations, underscoring the importance of putting mobile consumers at the heart of European policymaking and the FIA clubs role as the unique voice in Europe of mobile consumers was drafted to outline next steps by FIA and its members to address those key challenges in the interest of mobile consumers.

Click here to read the Declaration of the Eurocouncil 2010