The Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal was recently presented on 20th February 2024 to the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU and Commission.
Endorsed by 447 signatures across 20 sectors, emphasises the urgent need for clarity, predictability, and confidence in Europe’s industrial policy. The declaration asserts that a European Industrial Deal is essential to complement the Green Deal and ensure the retention of high-quality jobs for European workers.
Outlined in the declaration are ten key calls to action directed towards Member State Governments, the European Commission, and Parliament:
1. Put the Industrial Deal at the core of the new European Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029.
2. Include a strong public funding chapter with a Clean Tech Deployment Fund for Energy Intensive Industries.
3. Make Europe a globally competitive provider of energy by prioritizing new projects for abundant and affordable low-carbon renewable and nuclear energy.
4. Focus on the infrastructure Europe needs by targeting recovery funds to build world-class EU Energy, digital, CCUS, and recycling infrastructures.
5. Increase the EU’s raw materials security through scaling up domestic mining, sustainable processing, and recycling capacity for crucial raw materials.
6. Boost demand for net-zero, low-carbon, and circular products through consumer empowerment and public procurement initiatives.
7. Leverage, enforce, revive, and improve the Single Market to transition integrated value chains and address fragmentation.
8. Make the innovation framework smarter by fostering high-quality science, technological innovation, and collaborative policies.
9. Promote a new spirit of law-making that fosters entrepreneurship, avoids over-regulation, and ensures coherence.
10. Ensure the structure allows to achieve results by installing a First Vice-President responsible for the delivery of the European Industrial Deal.
The declaration underscores the importance of keeping industry in Europe to deliver the climate solutions needed, emphasizing that only with a strong industrial fabric and strengthened social dialogue can the green transition be achieved in a just manner. It emphasizes the need for a European approach to support industry throughout the transition, maintaining the integrity of the internal market while considering global competition.
The declaration concludes by inviting companies, organisations, and associations to support the Antwerp Declaration and join the efforts to strengthen Europe’s industrial landscape.
For more details and updates on the Antwerp Declaration, visit the official website: https://antwerp-declaration.eu/
