Good news from EU for Northern Ireland
10 March 2009
Traditional Unionist MEP Jim Allister has welcomed the vote in the European Parliament passing a Regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles, particularly because of the job boost which it can give Northern Ireland.
While the regulation deals with ABS brakes, emissions and tyre requirements, the issue of significance to Northern Ireland is the future obligation on all new cars produced in Europe to have a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System fitted. Schrader Electronics at Antrim and Carrickfergus is one of the world's leaders in this technology and production, already having captured 40% of the world market. Now, as Europe proceeds to make TPMS compulsory on its new vehicles Schrader is well positioned to capture much of that market too.
"This is a good news story for Northern Ireland out of Europe", said the MEP, who had visited the Schrader plant during the negotiations which were going on over recent months. "Though car production has substantially slowed, this now puts these Northern Ireland factories in an excellent position to capitalise on the upturn, when it comes."
Speaking in the debate before the vote Jim Allister said:-
"I am rarely lobbied in favour of an EU Regulation, and even less often am I persuaded. But on this occasion I was, because this proposal contains provisions which both improve road safety and assist a company in Northern Ireland which is at the cutting edge of technology and production of tyre pressure monitoring systems.
Thus a proposal which makes the fitting of such systems mandatory is not just good for road safety, but good for jobs in my constituency.
With devastating levels of road deaths across the EU, measures which make our cars, and thus our roads, safer, have to be welcomed. It is one area where regulation has a role to play, but it should be sensible, rational and necessary regulation, not regulation for regulation's sake. I think this report has got the balance right."
