Brussels, 24/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Headed by their French counterpart, nine European industry ministers have called for common sector-specific initiatives for sectors that hold promise for the future.
A conference organised in Paris on 23 October by the French minister for industrial renewal, Arnaud Monebourg, allowed several member states to achieve consensus on the need to strengthen EU industry policy, ahead of the European Council on competitiveness to be held in February 2014.
The ministers of nine member states (Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Czech Republic and United Kingdom) underline, in a press release issued after the conference, that, in order to heighten the competitiveness of its declining industry, Europe must today take measures “commensurate with the situation”, and “prepare for new challenges, as other global industrial powers have already done”.
This “historical” economic sector, which employs over 34 million people and contributes to 20% of Europe's output, 80% of its exports and 80% of its R&D investment, and which excels in strategic sectors (automotive, aeronautics, engineering, space, micro-electronics, chemical and pharmaceutical products), has undergone a continuous decline in EU GDP in the past ten years. This was heightened with the economic crisis of 2008, leading to a 10% loss of industrial jobs.
However, the ministers explain, addressing this drop which today is close to 15%, requires “ongoing review” of European policies. They cite industrial policy and SME policy, internal market rules, competition policy, trade policy, environmental policy, innovation and research policy, cohesion policy, as well as all sector-specific policies including energy and climate. Also needed are real improvements for Community framing of state aid, together with effective surveillance of subsidies practised by competitive economies, the ministers say.
The nine ministers, who underline the vital importance of trade policy in particular, stress that their “shared goal of industrial renewal must, from now on, be systematically factored into all EU policies”. “We need to be sure that European firms are not at a disadvantage compared to their international competitors”, they say, calling for full mobilisation of trade defence instruments whenever necessary.
In addition to improving access to financing for SMEs, the EU's industrial policy must focus on improving framework conditions provided to European industry while taking into account the specific challenges faced by various industrial sectors, the ministers say. They call on the Commission to carry forward its sector-specific initiatives on important traditional sectors (steel, shipbuilding) and to extend this approach to growth sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, ICT and green technologies, and to propose “concrete solutions” for each in order to respond to global competitiveness challenges.
The European Commission is also invited by ministers to propose, before the February 2014 summit, from which they expect a complete and clear roadmap for industrial renewal, solutions for reducing the competitiveness gap between Europe and its rivals, resulting in energy price variations or different CO2 emission commitments. (EH/transl.jl)