Region I Extraordinary Plenary

At the FIA Region I Extraordinary Plenary,  Jorge F. Delgado was elected as the new President of the Region representing Clubs in Europe, Middle East and Africa. The CEO of the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), Delgado will serve as the Region’s President until spring 2025. “My priorities will be to strengthen the voice of the user within the context of the mobility transition, driving regulatory and private sector engagement, while driving and facilitating Member Clubs’ growth across the Region,” he said. “This, in close cooperation with the Members through the Plenary Assembly, Management Council and Presidential Board.”

The meeting in Bologna also elected Günther Thumser, President of ÖAMTC, Austria and Andrej Brglez, President of AMZS, Slovenia as Region I representatives on the World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism.

Region II Plenary Meeting

In the Region II Plenary, the focus was on Club empowerment, with the presentation of the Region II Capability Scoping Study. The study, which will be undertaken between January and March 2023, will explore potential areas for collaboration among Member Organisations, with a view to increasing capability in the Region. Findings from the study will be discussed at an ‘Ideas Forum’ in mid-2023. 

The Region has also identified tourism as a potential growth area for its Clubs who were given a presentation of regional tourism collaboration and opportunities by FIA Region III President Frank Fotia. He detailed the Canadian Automobile Association’s collaboration with the Automóvil Club Dominicano to drive tourism between Canada and the Dominican Republic as a model for Region II to explore. 

Region III Meeting

The meeting of FIA Region III focused on the presentation of an update on the ‘FIA Sustainable Mobility for All’ Framework, which has been defined under the pillars of safe, clean, inclusive, and smart mobility. 

Members were guided through a wide range of FIA initiatives, including the FIA Road Safety Grants Programme and the recently launched Delft University Road Safety Courses that aim to respond to the FIA Member Clubs’ demand for the FIA to build capacity by providing road safety and public policy training.

They noted the launch of the FIA Road Safety Index that allows to measure the road safety performance and footprint of organisations. FIA Region III Members also heard about the UN Environment Programme’s Used Vehicles and the Environment programme, with Club representatives from South America and the Caribbean noting that 8% of some 23 million used Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs) were exported to the Region between 2015 and 2020. 

Region IV Meeting

Safe and sustainable mobility, capacity building and Customer Relationship Management were at the top of the agenda as Region IV mapped out its goals for 2023 during its meeting in Bologna.

The Region is targeting reinforcement of the brands of its Clubs and of Region IV in order to build commercial opportunities and diversify business. It also aims to position the FIA and its Members as the voice of mobility in the region.

In this regard, the Region is planning a number of events in 2023 including a Business Management seminar that will be taught by the Universidad Torcuato di Tella, a Sustainable Mobility and Environment meeting and a course in Drone Operation, among other things.