The ‘Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal’ presented by 73 industry leaders this February, and spanning almost 20 industrial sectors, emphasizes the critical importance of clarity and predictability in Europe’s industrial policy. The Declaration, which garnered widespread support across the business community, calls for 10 urgent actions to restore competitiveness and keep high quality jobs in Europe including the following:
- Integrating the EU Industrial Deal into the broader European Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029
- Include a strong public funding chapter with a Clean Tech Deployment Fund
for Energy Intensive Industries closely coordinated with a simplified State Aid framework, while respecting the Single Market rules - Make Europe a globally competitive provider of energy:
Transforming Europe into a global leader in providing abundant and affordable low carbon energy - Focus on the infrastructure Europe needs
- Increase the EU’s raw materials security
through scaling up domestic mining, sustainable processing and recycling capacity for crucial raw materials, combined with new global partnerships - Boost demand for net zero, low carbon and circular products.
- Leverage, enforce, revive and improve the Single Market
- Make the innovation framework smarter
including fostering high-quality science, technological innovation, and collaborative policies - A new spirit of law-making
Legislation should create incentives for businesses to invest in clean technologies - Ensure the structure allows to achieve results.
The Declaration provides a roadmap for organizations to transition towards more sustainable and circular practices, fostering resilience, innovation, and long-term value creation. It is also in line with our commitment to sustainable growth, and for advocating for green transition which we believe is absolutely necessary but can only happen if economic change does not impose a disproportionate burden on society and does not undermine the competitiveness of EU businesses.