Mediaroom

Sigrid de Vries to lead European automotive telecoms alliance EATA in 2020

The members of EATA have elected Sigrid de Vries, secretary general of CLEPA, to chair the European Automotive and Telecoms Alliance (EATA) in 2020. De Vries takes over from Erik Jonnaert, former head of ACEA, who has led the alliance since its foundation in 2016. Afke Schaart, VP and Head of Europe of GSMA, continues to be EATA vice chair.

Connected and automated driving features high on the EU policy agenda, and EATA is the first point of contact for EU policy makers and stakeholders on this topic. The Alliance groups six founding associations from the automotive and telecom industry and well as corporate members from both sectors.

“EATA is unique in uniting players from the automotive and telecoms sectors in pursuit of accelerating connected and automated mobility in Europe”, said de Vries. “To ensure that Europe can move ahead of the curve, we believe it is crucial to enable a clear framework to foster investment and innovation and avoid fragmentation in the EU by ensuring coordination of policy initiatives. Technology neutrality is critical for the development of Connected and Automated Mobility, as is close cooperation and leverage on the international stage. I thank Erik Jonnaert for his commitment over the past years and look forward to furthering the cause of our Alliance with a similar drive.”

About EATA

The European Automotive and Telecoms Alliance (EATA) comprises six sectorial associations: ACEA, CLEPA, ETNO, ECTA, GSMA and GSA. Together they represent around 32 leading European companies, including telecom operators, vendors, automobile manufacturers and automotive suppliers. EATA was created in September 2016 in the margins of the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The Alliance has since developed into an important political platform in Europe, discussing regulatory issues on the introduction of connected and automated driving (CAD), boosting cross-border cooperation and coordination as well as on-the-ground testing of the upcoming technologies which will revolutionise Europe’s road transport. The CEF funded project for the (pre-) deployment of CAD, known as CONCORDA, is coordinated and managed by ERTICO since the start of 2018.

 

Attachments


    In: CLEPA News, Connectivity & Automation
    • By Topics

    • Reset