Skip to main content

CECE meets with EU Commission to discuss policy

Construction equipment body CECE has met with senior figures within the EU Commission to help safeguard the competitiveness of the European industrial base. This is intended to help create jobs and to instil new sustainable economic growth in Europe. As a result, the European manufacturing industry is requesting a far thinking industrial policy strategy and action plan at EU level.
July 3, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
CECE president Bernd Holz (left) met EU Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen (right)

Construction equipment body 3399 CECE has met with senior figures within the EU Commission to help safeguard the competitiveness of the European industrial base. This is intended to help create jobs and to instil new sustainable economic growth in Europe. As a result, the European manufacturing industry is requesting a far thinking industrial policy strategy and action plan at EU level. Commission vice-president Jyrki Katainen in Brussels and CECE president Bernd Holz discussed how vital a coherent industrial policy could be for the future of construction equipment manufacturing in Europe. Amongst the relevant points Holz highlighted market surveillance, international trade and regulatory compliance. Vice-president Katainen confirmed the EU Commission’s willingness and commitment to support EU industrial competitiveness and looks forward to receiving further input on policy measures and initiatives. Concluding the exchange Holz said, “I really appreciate the interest and the hands-on approach of Commissioner Katainen. I confirmed to him CECE’s readiness to deliver concrete examples of burdensome regulation, as well as new initiatives that we can put in place to reach the goal of 20% of EU GDP by industry.”

It is no secret that in the 2465 European Commission the initiative is an issue of controversy. Unanimous support, however, comes from the Member States   expressed by the Competitiveness Council and endorsed by the Council Summit and from several MEPs from all political groups in the European   Parliament. CECE is contributing input to the upcoming Parliament resolution calling on the Commission to propose the industrial policy strategy, to be adopted at its next plenary session on July 5th.

CECE’s main request is to give Europe’s manufacturing industry the means to   increase the share of industry in the European GDP to 20% by 2020. The major  fields of action defined include issues like reducing the administrative burden   of complying with EU legislation, ensuring fair competition through better   market surveillance, seeking greater international policy alignment to avoid technical barriers to trade, access to finance, digitalisation and new business models or investment in skills and talents.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • VDMA’s optimistic 2014 outlook
    February 21, 2014
    The VDMA has given an optimistic 2014 performance forecast for the German construction equipment and building material machinery industry. Compared to the previous year, industry turnover declined slightly in 2013 by 6% to €11.7 billion. But incoming orders for construction equipment are said by the VDMA to have risen by 7% in 2013, compared to 2012. The VDMA predicts a 5% turnover rise in 2014, compared to the previous 12 months. “We can look back on a satisfactory business year overall; given all the
  • LiuGong closes Dressta deal
    March 21, 2012
    Chinese manufacturer LiuGong Machinery has finalised its agreement to acquire Polish firm HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) and its distribution subsidiary, Dressta. The agreement was signed by executives from both companies in Warsaw.
  • How data mining and the intelligence it creates is helping sites run more effectively and efficiently
    December 13, 2022
    In this, the third in our series of top-level roundtable discussions led by World Highways, editor Mike Woof and roundtable host Nadira Tudor talk machine control technology with three world-class experts from Leica Geosystems (part of Hexagon), Topcon, and Trimble. There’s never been a more exciting time to be in construction as innovation makes us more productive, more efficient, more sustainable, and better connected. Autonomy means opportunity.
  • China banks on the Belt and Road Initiative
    October 8, 2019
    Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is capitalising on its well-established equipment and componentry manufacturing base as China’s global Belt and Road Initiative gathers momentum.