The organisation said that the recent establishment of its Associate Membership Programme has enabled it to get closer to important players in the market, such as Ritchie Bros, which sells equipment and trucks to on-site and online bidders..

Leaseurope’s chair Jukka Salonen said: 'It is part of the Federation’s latest efforts to build a truly European platform for leasing and automotive rental companies as well as for companies which have affinities or do business with the leasing and automotive rental industry.

'With a growing number of full members and the coming on board of well-known associate members, our aim is to provide additional opportunities for networking, exchanging views and best practices as well as to leverage expertise, thereby strengthening our reputation as the expert voice at European level on all issues related to leasing and automotive rental.'

Leaseurope’s director general Tanguy van de Werve added: 'We are delighted that Ritchie Bros has decided to join Leaseurope as associate member and look forward to a fruitful partnership with them. I am particularly interested in finding out whether Ritchie Bros. is facing any legal difficulties to sell used equipment in the European Union. If so, it could be something for Leaseurope to take a closer look at, as leasing companies stand to benefit from an obstacle-free second hand market in Europe.'