ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14126-Motor-Vehicle-Block-Exemption-Regulation-evaluation_en">public consultation inviting all interested parties to express their views on the functioning of the competition rules applicable to vertical agreements in the automotive sector. These rules include the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation ('MVBER') and the Supplementary Guidelines ('SGL'), both as amended in April 2023 , as well as the Vertical Block Exemption Regulation ('VBER') and the Guidelines on vertical restraints , as far as they apply to the automotive sector.
The public consultation is part of the ongoing evaluation of the MVBER and the SGL launched on 18 January 2024. These rules, which assist companies in the automotive sector in assessing the compatibility of their vertical agreements with Article 101(1) of the Treaty on the functioning of the European Union ('TFEU'), are currently set to expire on 31 May 2028.
In parallel, the Commission launched on 30 January 2025 the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the Automotive Industry. The Commission will soon present an Action Plan which will address issues relevant for the automotive sector, such as ensuring access to talent and resources, technological innovation and the development of next-generation vehicles, and establishing a predictable regulatory framework. The MVBER evaluation complements these efforts by ensuring a competitive automotive aftermarket.
Background on the evaluation process
On 17 April 2023 , the Commission prolonged the MVBER for five years, until 31 May 2028, and updated the SGL to reflect the main technological developments in the automotive industry since 2010. This was the outcome of the previous evaluation of the framework, launched in 2018 and concluded on 28 May 2021 , which indicated notably that the motor vehicle market was likely to evolve in the following years, due to the digitalisation of vehicles and new mobility patterns in particular.
The Commission launched the current evaluation on 18 January 2024 and a call for evidence on 27 May 2024 . In its review, the Commission will take into account the current competitive situation in the automotive sector and include an assessment of the impact of the 2023 amendments to the SGL. The evaluation will also consider how the market is likely to evolve until 2028 based on current trends.
Next steps
