A Seat at the European Table: BTMA Elected to Represent National Tyre Associations at Tyres Europe

BTMA NEWSLETTER | EUROPEAN AFFAIRS

Tyres Europe has established a National Associations Leadership Council, giving Europe’s national tyre trade associations a formal, collective voice at Board level for the first time. At the Council’s inaugural meeting the BTMA was elected to hold that seat for a one-year mandate.

The British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association (BTMA) has been elected to represent Europe’s national tyre associations at meetings of the Tyres Europe Board of Directors for a one-year mandate. The election took place at the inaugural meeting of Tyres Europe’s National Associations Leadership Council, a new forum designed to strengthen coordination between the tyre industry’s European and national representatives.

Why the Council was formed

The Council draws together associations from across the continent, including the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia and the Netherlands. The Council will exchange views on issues affecting the sector, identify matters with wider European relevance and contribute national perspectives to discussions across Tyres Europe. As the Council’s representative, BTMA Chief Executive Darren Lindsey will convey shared priorities to the Board and report relevant outcomes back to participating associations.

“This is a genuine step forward for the national associations, and the BTMA is grateful for the confidence its European colleagues have shown in asking us to hold the seat. Our job over the next year is a simple one to describe and a demanding one to do well: to make sure the Board hears not just the UK view, but the common thread running through nine national markets and to bring back what we learn so that every association benefits. Members need to understand the associations they belong to and the value those associations create, and where that picture is changing it should be discussed at Tyres Europe level as part of our collective strategic thinking, not in isolation. That culture of open exchange is what this Council exists to build.”

Darren Lindsey, Chief Executive, BTMA

“The Leadership Council strengthens the mutually beneficial exchange of information between Tyres Europe and the national associations. National insights can better inform discussions at European level, while associations gain a clearer view of relevant EU developments. This closer two-way exchange will support more coordinated and effective representation of the sector.”

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe

What happens next

For BTMA members, the practical benefit is direct access to what is being discussed at European level, earlier and in more detail than published outputs allow and a route for UK concerns on trade, enforcement, end-of-life tyres and product regulation to be raised in Brussels alongside those of eight other national markets.