All motorsport activities could soon become illegal in the EU, according to the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA). The association is urging those involved in motorsports across the European Union (EU) to write to their Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and local governments to demand changes to a proposed new EU directive that could threaten motorsports.
MEPs and representatives of EU governments this December will vote on the newly revised Motor Insurance Directive (MID) from the European Commission. The text, unless amended, threatens the future of motorsport businesses across the EU, according to MIA.
The revised MID comes years after the Vnuk ruling made by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in September 2014, which requires all EU member states to ensure compulsory unlimited third-party liability insurance is carried by anyone using any form of motorized transport in any location, including in motorsports.
The specialist insurance market for EU motorsport has told the MIA and European Commission that no insurance policy is currently available or planned for the new conditions laid out in the revised MID. With no insurance available, it will become illegal to compete in any motorsport under the new MID, according to MIA.
“This is a genuine, serious threat to all EU motorsport,” said Chris Aylett, CEO of MIA. “No one involved in motorsport-companies, employers and organizations-can afford to ignore this.”
MIA, a global trade association for motorsports and high-performance engineering, has launched a social media campaign urging all EU motorsport companies and individuals contact their local government and MEPs demanding the text of the MID be changed.
Utilizing dedicated web pages and an extensive campaign on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, MIA is calling all motorsport stakeholders to act before Dec. 1 to make their voices heard in the European Parliament and the Council of the EU prior the crucial vote.
“A strong clear message demanding the text be amended must be sent now to MEPs and European governments,” Aylett said. “The MIA website provides all resources needed to take action-just a few minutes to copy the template letter and send this to the relevant EU contacts listed. If the new EU MID is unchanged, the unintended consequence of this legislation would end of a sport enjoyed by millions, close down tens of thousands of motorsport-related businesses and destroy hundreds of thousands of jobs, across the EU. This sounds unbelievable but unfortunately it will happen if we fail to act now.”
