The Reset: Europe's auto reckoning

Join Francesca Stevens for the second episode of The Reset - a podcast on what it really takes to make European industry competitive again.
Francesca Stevens with Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of ACEA

By The Reset

The Reset is a video podcast series exploring what it really takes to make European industry competitive again. Hosted by Francesca Stevens, Secretary General of EUROPEN

09 Apr 2026

This episode features Sigrid de Vries, Secretary General of ACEA , and a leading voice of the European automotive sector.

In this episode of The Reset, Sigrid and I dive into:

  • Can Europe’s automotive industry regain its competitive edge?
  • What are the impacts of the combustion engine ban on Europe’s automotive value chain?
  • And can Europe really lead on EVs without the battery technologies and charging infrastructure?
  • This isn’t just about cars — it’s about jobs, trade, and Europe’s industrial power in a fast-changing world

The Reset is a video podcast series exploring what it really takes to make European industry competitive again. Hosted by Francesca Stevens, Secretary General of EUROPEN and Brussels' most prominent champion of the European Single Market, each episode brings together leaders from across Europe's industrial and policy landscape for frank conversations on the forces reshaping the continent's competitiveness, for better and worse.

Across two seasons, The Reset has tackled Europe's aluminium crisis, the automotive sector's EV transition, progress since the Antwerp Declaration, the role of CEOs in policymaking, the implementation gap on the Draghi agenda, and whether Europe's institutions are still fit for purpose. Guests have included heads of industrial sectors such as aluminium, automotive, and chemicals, as well as leading experts on tech and trade policy.

Episodes are recorded at the Bump Policy Experience Space in Brussels, occasionally in front of a live audience. The Reset is produced by Bump and hosted on The Parliament.

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