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EGEA along with 92 other associations agree on an ambitious European industrial strategy
Massimo Brunamonti
By endorsing the joint declaration, EGEA (European Garage Equipment Association) confirms the need for robust policies on behalf of Europe’s future industrial production, 99% of which is made up of SME, the real backbone of the continent’s economy and industry. The initiative bears a great significance also for the car repair sector.
russels, February 2017, EGEA, the European Garage Equipment Association, along with 92 other industrial associations, endorsed the policy document “Joint Declaration for an Ambitious UE industrial strategy”.
“Europe is the cradle of the manufacturing industry and has been at the forefront of industrial revolutions and technological innovations. The industry directly employs over 34 million people across all Member States, in supply chains comprising hundreds of thousands of SMEs and larger suppliers. It also indirectly accounts for millions of additional jobs in related sectors. The European manufacturing industry has tremendous capacity for research and innovation, boasts a skilled workforce and has earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability. What it now needs is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the Member States to create more jobs and growth in Europe”.
The opening paragraph of the declaration clearly reveals the proactive tone of the declaration and the requests for legislative support made to the European Parliament. By endorsing the joint declaration, EGEA confirms the need for robust policies on behalf of Europe’s future industrial production, 99% of which is made up of SME, the real backbone of the continent’s economy and industry.
The initiative bears a great significance also for the car repair sector which, along with garage equipment manufacturers, is represented in Italy by AICA (EGEA’s Italian member). The automotive industry, in fact, confirms itself as one of the great pillars of the European manufacturing industry, showing the world how Europe, more than any other continent, knows how to combine quality, sustainability and competitiveness as this was time and again demonstrated by Italian and European garage equipment manufacturers.
Overall market figures show that between 2000 and 2014 a 3.5% reduction in business volumes took place, caused in part by the recent economic recession, followed by a loss of over 3 million jobs between 2008 and 2014. However, the natural industrial re-growth is currently hindered by external factors from which the global market cannot help being influenced: just think of the "Make in India" or "Made in China 2025" strategies, whereby both these industrial giants have set their sights on becoming global protagonists. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the US is already trying to react with the famous, though controversial, "America First".
Europe has the duty to keep pace and place its industry at the top of its political agenda. The President of the European Commission Lean-Claude Juncker has already identified Europe’s re-industrialization as one of his priorities and has further confirmed the goal of increasing the sector’s share of the total European GDP to 20%. Member States and the European Parliament have jointly expressed their support towards this “ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe”.
Nevertheless, we must stick to the facts: the signatory associations are urging the EU to commit itself towards reaching the established objectives and to implement an action plan to address the challenges facing the industry.
“Europe is the cradle of the manufacturing industry and has been at the forefront of industrial revolutions and technological innovations. The industry directly employs over 34 million people across all Member States, in supply chains comprising hundreds of thousands of SMEs and larger suppliers. It also indirectly accounts for millions of additional jobs in related sectors. The European manufacturing industry has tremendous capacity for research and innovation, boasts a skilled workforce and has earned a global reputation for quality and sustainability. What it now needs is the swift and determined support of the European institutions and the Member States to create more jobs and growth in Europe”.
The opening paragraph of the declaration clearly reveals the proactive tone of the declaration and the requests for legislative support made to the European Parliament. By endorsing the joint declaration, EGEA confirms the need for robust policies on behalf of Europe’s future industrial production, 99% of which is made up of SME, the real backbone of the continent’s economy and industry.
The initiative bears a great significance also for the car repair sector which, along with garage equipment manufacturers, is represented in Italy by AICA (EGEA’s Italian member). The automotive industry, in fact, confirms itself as one of the great pillars of the European manufacturing industry, showing the world how Europe, more than any other continent, knows how to combine quality, sustainability and competitiveness as this was time and again demonstrated by Italian and European garage equipment manufacturers.
Overall market figures show that between 2000 and 2014 a 3.5% reduction in business volumes took place, caused in part by the recent economic recession, followed by a loss of over 3 million jobs between 2008 and 2014. However, the natural industrial re-growth is currently hindered by external factors from which the global market cannot help being influenced: just think of the "Make in India" or "Made in China 2025" strategies, whereby both these industrial giants have set their sights on becoming global protagonists. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the US is already trying to react with the famous, though controversial, "America First".
Europe has the duty to keep pace and place its industry at the top of its political agenda. The President of the European Commission Lean-Claude Juncker has already identified Europe’s re-industrialization as one of his priorities and has further confirmed the goal of increasing the sector’s share of the total European GDP to 20%. Member States and the European Parliament have jointly expressed their support towards this “ambitious and coordinated European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe”.
Nevertheless, we must stick to the facts: the signatory associations are urging the EU to commit itself towards reaching the established objectives and to implement an action plan to address the challenges facing the industry.
