ASSOCIATIONS
European manufacturers urge EU action on competitiveness / Joint declaration
Leading organisations representing the European plastics and other manufacturing sectors have signed the “Joint declaration for an ambitious industrial strategy”, which is aimed at revitalising the role of manufacturing throughout the EU. The signatories, which include European Plastics Converters (EuPC, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsconverters.eu), the plastics manufacturers’ association PlasticsEurope (Brussels; www.plasticseurope.org) and the European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA, Brussels; www.eucia.eu) among others, urge the European Commission to help the EU’s industry remain competitive with manufacturers in countries such as India and China.
At the beginning of his mandate, commission president Jean-Claude Juncker identified the reindustrialisation of Europe as one of his top priorities and confirmed the objective of increasing the share of industry in the European GDP to 20% by 2020, the associations recall. However, as the EU prepares its next Multiannual Financial Framework, they say “the time has come to raise the alarm about the considerable challenges that we are all facing.”
Noting that between 2000 and 2014, the share of manufacturing in total EU output fell from 18.8% to 15.3%, while 3.5m manufacturing jobs were lost between 2008 and 2014, the industry representatives call on the Commission to reaffirm its commitment to reaching the 20% of GDP from industry target and adopt an action plan to tackle the challenges industry faces with “concrete steps and milestones.”
The paper’s backers say they are “ready to step” up their cooperation with the commission, the European Parliament and the Competitiveness Council to define and implement “this ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe.”
European manufacturers have “tremendous capacity” for research and innovation and a skilled workforce and have earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability, the industry groupings point out. What is needed now, they add, “is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the member states to create more jobs and growth.”
At the beginning of his mandate, commission president Jean-Claude Juncker identified the reindustrialisation of Europe as one of his top priorities and confirmed the objective of increasing the share of industry in the European GDP to 20% by 2020, the associations recall. However, as the EU prepares its next Multiannual Financial Framework, they say “the time has come to raise the alarm about the considerable challenges that we are all facing.”
Noting that between 2000 and 2014, the share of manufacturing in total EU output fell from 18.8% to 15.3%, while 3.5m manufacturing jobs were lost between 2008 and 2014, the industry representatives call on the Commission to reaffirm its commitment to reaching the 20% of GDP from industry target and adopt an action plan to tackle the challenges industry faces with “concrete steps and milestones.”
The paper’s backers say they are “ready to step” up their cooperation with the commission, the European Parliament and the Competitiveness Council to define and implement “this ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe.”
European manufacturers have “tremendous capacity” for research and innovation and a skilled workforce and have earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability, the industry groupings point out. What is needed now, they add, “is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the member states to create more jobs and growth.”
24.02.2017 Plasteurope.com [236139-0]
Published on 24.02.2017