Brussels, 27/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Speaking via its rapporteur Bernd Lange, the Socialists and Democrats Group at the European Parliament on Thursday accused the European Commission of neglecting the industrial policy in the EU. The European executive “has neglected industrial policy for a long time. We cannot develop a sustainable and competitive EU economy without healthy and innovative industry. The impact on industry of environmental, structural and trade policies must always be taken into account so that these policies don't block one another”, the German MEP explained to the committee on industry on Thursday 27 January. His report on the integrated industrial policy calls for the Commission to set up a working group to improve coordination between all Community policies. “Climate change, demographic trends, scarcity of resources and global competition now present the need for sustainable production. Above all, we have to improve our use of resources. They account for 40% of the production costs of the industry in the EU - a figure that is too high. Innovation and resource efficiency is more fruitful than the neo-liberal idea of cutting employment costs”, said Lange. His report, which was adopted unanimously by the members of the committee on industry, calls on the Commission to increase funds for research and to improve transfers of technology. The European executive is also called on to “make binding proposals to implement all these goals and give European industry planning reliability”, Lange adds in a press release, in which he stresses that the social partners and unions have “an active role to play”.
The shadow rapporteur for the EPP, Françoise Grossetête, welcomed the report, which “plugs a number of the gaps” in the communication put on the table by the Commission last November. The French MEP particularly welcomes the introduction into the report of the principle of reciprocity in trade between the EU and third countries, and the adoption of an amendment on setting in place a carbon inclusion mechanism on the borders of the EU, in full respect of WTO rules. This tool, she said, would “help to avoid relocations outside the EU by many industrial sectors”. (E.H./transl.fl)