Marcin Barankiewicz (42) from Poland will coordinate the work of the European Workshop Equipment Association (EGEA) and its 11 national member associations from the beginning of April 2024..

“We are delighted to have found in Marcin Barankiewicz a worthy and comparably well-qualified successor to Jordi Brunet Garcia. Jordi has done outstanding work for the European workshop equipment industry since taking office in December 2019,” says current EGEA President Frank Beaujean. Senior engineer Jordi Brunet Garcia from Barcelona is returning to the workshop equipment industry at his own request at the end of March. He will be training his successor in Brussels in the coming weeks.

Marcin Barankiewicz has many years of experience in the automotive industry and is familiar with all issues relating to periodic technical inspections (PTI) thanks to his work as a specialist in organizational and legal issues at the Polish Chamber of Motor Vehicle Inspection Bodies. He has been Chairman of the Board of the Chamber since June 2020.  Thanks to his professional experience and his degree from the Faculty of Law and Administration at the University of Warsaw, as well as postgraduate studies at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Lazarski University, Barankiewicz is ideally qualified for the tasks in Brussels. In his work in Poland, he has represented entrepreneurs who operate PTI stations and diagnostic specialists who carry out technical tests. Among other things, he was responsible for contact with representatives of the government, parliament, public administration and other organizations, associations, and institutions in the automotive industry. In his role, he prepared statements and position papers on issues important to the PTI industry and was actively involved in legislative processes. “It is a stroke of luck for EGEA members that Marcin Barankiewicz complements his extensive legal background with equally sound practical knowledge. After all, he is a lawyer and trained automotive technician,” says Beaujean.

Forward-looking projects await

Numerous and difficult tasks await the new EGEA Secretary General. First and foremost, the ongoing revision of the Roadworthiness Package by the European Commission , to adapt the vehicle inspection to the latest technologies. The issue of fair and equal access to technical data and information, which is vital for the independent aftermarket (IAM), is also high on the agenda. This includes the enforcement of the ECJ ruling of October 5, 2023 on the admissibility of secure gateways (SGW) for access to vehicle data from OBD interfaces. “We are also eagerly awaiting the discussions on the introduction of a sector-specific regulation for access to data, resources and functions of connected vehicles. These will form the basis for completely new business models in the aftermarket in the future. I look forward to being able to support the EGEA and its members with my expertise on these forward-looking topics,” says Marcin Barankiewicz.