CITA concerns on US–EU “mutual recognition” of vehicle standards
On 21 August 2025, the European Union and the United States announced a Framework Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade. Among the many provisions in the agreement, one element stands out with direct implications for road safety and vehicle regulation: both parties “intend to accept and provide mutual recognition to each other’s [automotive] standards.”
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has raised strong concerns regarding this commitment. As ETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenoso stated, this decision is not a minor technicality but a political choice that risks putting trade convenience ahead of road safety. Europe has, over decades, built a reputation as a global leader in road safety regulation.
The General Safety Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 mandates the deployment of life-saving technologies such as:
- Automated Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Lane Keeping Assistance (LKA)
- Pedestrian and cyclist protection requirements
- Advanced Driver Distraction and Drowsiness Monitoring (DMS)
These measures are the result of years of evidence-based policymaking, and they underpin the EU’s Vision Zero strategy of eliminating road fatalities and serious injuries.
By contrast, U.S. federal vehicle standards do not guarantee the same level of protection. Allowing American vehicles into the EU market through mutual recognition – rather than through proven type-approval compliance – opens the door to larger, heavier, and less safe vehicles entering Europe.
For the international vehicle inspection community, this raises immediate challenges. Periodic Technical Inspection (PTI) systems are designed around European type-approval requirements. Introducing vehicles built to fundamentally different standards risks creating regulatory blind spots in inspection procedures, undermining decades of progress in ensuring roadworthiness and environmental compliance across the European fleet.
CITA supports ETSC’s warning that Europe must not undermine its safety framework in the pursuit of short-term trade advantages. Road safety standards are not bargaining chips – they are a public good that protect lives and reduce the economic and social burden of road crashes.
CITA President Gerhard Müller emphasized: “The blanket recognition of lower American vehicle safety standards would not only contradict all efforts to improve road safety in the European Union, but also lead to additional distortion of competition to the detriment of the European vehicle industry. Against the background of nearly stagnant numbers of traffic fatalities in Europe, I urge political leaders not to allow any compromises on the safety of American vehicles, but rather to make much greater efforts to achieve the goals of Vision Zero.”
Compromising on safety standards would not only weaken Europe’s regulatory credibility but would also expose road users to preventable risks. CITA therefore joins ETSC in calling on policymakers to prioritize lives over trade convenience.
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