ECED attended AED’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Diego
ECED’s visit to the AED’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Diego re-launches transatlantic cooperation!
Brussels, 22 January 2009
Amounting to a considerable success, the ECED is proud to announce that a long-planned transatlantic meeting with the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) took place during the AED’s 90th Annual Meeting in San Diego, from 14 to 17 January.
Invited by the AED’s President and CEO, Jonathan (Toby) Mack, ECED’s President, Dr. José Gameiro, and Secretary General attended the Opening Session on Thursday, where the 2008 AED Chairman, Paul Campbell, spoke about what the AED-members indicated they expect from their association: networking opportunities, advocacy (lobbying) for the distribution sector, as well as education and workforce development (training).
In light of the current economic crisis and the change of US President, the following keynote speaker, AED’s Vice-President of Government Affairs, Christian Klein, spoke about the continued need for an association like AED to be visible and outspoken, not only in Washington DC, but also at all local levels through direct involvement of the AED members.
After the Opening Session, a visit to CONDEX – the AED’s machinery exhibition – took place, in the company of the President and Secretary General of the Norwegian association, Maskingross, member of ECED.
Strengthened by the fact that the opening speeches were constantly referring to the need for a strong association to be supported by its members, the ECED President and Secretary General engaged in a very constructive closed meeting with the abovementioned AED representatives, joined by the 2009 AED Chairman, Bennett Closner, and representatives of the Canadian Association of Equipment Distributors (CAED)
During this meeting, Dr. José Gameiro took his time to explain the history of the ECED (up till the 2008 change in membership possibilities, now allowing for direct membership by individual companies), as well as describing the current positive relations ECED nourishes with the EU institutions as well as with the other European associations in the machinery sector (rental and manufacturers).
Asked about his personal priorities during his ECED Presidency, Dr. José Gameiro put forward first of all his target to reach up to 100 independent dealers by 2010 and get them to join the national associations that already form the basis of ECED’s work in Brussels. However, when it came to actions, Dr. Gameiro was even more resolute to point to his initiative to set up a system to recycle end-of-life-vehicles, as well as to re-open a long-lasting discussion on basic dealers’ rights when they negotiate agreements with the manufacturers. These topics will also feature during a planned meeting with the European Commission’s Vice-President, Günter Verheugen, scheduled to take place a week after the AED meeting and where the ECED President will also discuss proposals to lower VAT-rates on repair services, access to easy loans for businesses, as well as the much-needed training for mechanics.
After this initial presentation of ECED’s activities in Brussels, a general agreement was obtained to maintain close cooperation with the AED, whereby both Secretariats will look for all possible issues where mutual support can immediately take place. One example put forward by the ECED President was the experience a European association can offer to its American counterpart with regards to relations with government and other stakeholders when it comes to employment laws, as well as environmental and tax issues.
Concrete steps were furthermore taken as Dr. José Gameiro invited the AED President and CEO to join the upcoming ECED Dealer Conference in Paris on 20 April, while the AED returned the gesture by inviting ECED to join their Government Affairs Conference in Washington on 29 and 30 April.
related file: ECED_PR_January09 AED conference