Brussels,  18/06/2010  –  Rossella  Chiodo,  graduate from the College of

Europe  in  Bruges,  has won this year’s ACEA Competitiveness Award for a

thesis  on  the  effectiveness  and influence of stakeholder consultation

during impact assessments of the European Commission.

“Stakeholder  consultation  is fundamental for legitimising the political

process  in  the  European Union”, Chiodo says about the topic she chose,

“not  least  when  it  comes to impact assessments.” Her findings include

that  stakeholder  consultation  on  impact  assessments  is  not used as

efficiently  as  possible,  partly due to political contention taking the

upper hand over input from stakeholders.

ACEA  Secretary  General  Ivan  Hodac congratulated the winner. “Rossella

Chiodo addresses a topic that policy makers and stakeholders deal with on

a  daily basis. Impact assessments are crucial for policy making, all the

more  when  technical  issues  are  involved,  and  relevant  stakeholder

intelligence should be fully used to achieve accurate results.”

It  is  the  fifth time that ACEA, the Brussels-based European Automobile

Manufacturers’  Association,  awards  a  College  of Europe student for a

thesis  that shows academic excellence and investigates a dimension of EU

regulation   and   industry  competitiveness  without  necessarily  being

automotive-industry specific.

The   cooperation   between   the   European   Automobile  Manufacturers’

Association  and the College in Bruges is rooted in the mutual conviction

that  close  understanding  is  essential  between  industry  & business,

academia  and the EU institutions, many of which recruit from the College

of  Europe.  European  integration  is still work in progress. Continuous

interaction  between  society’s decision makers is of utmost significance

to  preserve what has grown and draft effective regulation while avoiding

unnecessary bureaucracy.

Before  her  master’s degree in European political studies at the College

Europe, Chiodo was a researcher at the Institute for Political Studies

in Milan and obtained degrees in international studies and sociology.

About ACEA

The   European   automotive   industry   is   key  to  the  strength  and

competitiveness  of  Europe.  The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks,

Daimler,  FIAT  Group, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land

Rover,  MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Scania,

Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen and Volvo. They provide direct employment

to more than 2.3 million people and indirectly support another 10 million

jobs.  Annually,  ACEA  members  invest over €26 billion in R&D, or 5% of

turnover.

For further information, please contact Sigrid de Vries, Director

Communications, ACEA   +32 2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be

Please also visit www.acea.be