Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has been elected to succeed former PSA/Peugeot-Citroen chief Philippe Varin as president of ACEA, the European auto industry’s lobbying body. The change takes effect immediately, ACEA said Monday.

This is the second time that Ghosn has been chief of the Brussels-based group after holding the post between January 2009 and January 2010.

Ghosn succeeds Varin who took on the role at the beginning of 2014 and is stepping down after being replaced as CEO of PSA by Carlos Tavares.

“Under [Ghosn’s] presidency, ACEA will continue to focus on its key policy recommendations, which are to drive innovation, to foster growth through international trade and to call for a supportive regulatory framework,” ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert said today in a statement.

Ghosn becomes head of ACEA at a critical time for European carmakers as they struggle to capitalize on a rebound in the region’s markets. ACEA is also helping members fight a looming trade deal between the EU and Japan that they say would make it easier for Japanese automakers to sell cars in Europe without providing the same opportunity to European exporters.

Ghosn joined Renault as an executive vice president in 1996 before becoming CEO of the automaker in April 2005. In June 1999, he was appointed chief operating officer at Nissan and was then promoted to president in 2000 and CEO in 2001.

ACEA represents the interests of 15 European car, truck and bus manufacturers.