Industry is a lifeline for jobs and families   

“It is fundamental for the success of the Green Deal that all European companies remain competitive, resilient and more independent in strategic areas like raw materials and key technologies. Such a strategy is complementary to climate policy, and will help us create the jobs of tomorrow in Europe. Without a competitive industry, there will be no Green Deal,” declared Tom Berendsen MEP, the European Parliament negotiator of the EU's new Industrial Strategy.

This morning, Members of the European Parliament will debate on Europe’s industry and how it is tackling the green and digital transitions. European industry provides 35 million jobs and the EPP Group calls on the EU Commission to publish, as fast as possible, the pathways for the different sectors of industry, to help them make the transition to green and digital. Education, upskilling and reskilling are of primordial importance in the transition pathways.

“The European Union needs a long-term Industrial Strategy that provides perspective for European companies who are battling against strong headwinds due to high energy prices, inflation, the side effects of lockdowns, supply chain problems, scarcity of raw materials and excessive red tape. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has made things much harder for our industry too,” emphatically declared Berendsen.

He highlighted that an overarching Industrial Strategy that would get Europe to our 2030 objectives and beyond, has, until now, been sorely missing. “Public spending and incentives should be aligned to the priorities we set up in this Industry Strategy.” 

Finally, yet importantly, he underlined the importance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), which constitute 99 percent of all EU businesses. “Regulatory and administrative burdens on enterprises, and especially on SMEs, should be reduced to the largest extent possible reflecting the ‘one-in-one-out’ principle, meaning that for each new law adopted, the EU should scrap an old one,” Berendsen concluded.

The European Parliament’s vote on the strategy is scheduled for this afternoon.