Thousands of workers from EU states gathered on Wednesday for a demonstration near the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels to demand guarantees for the future of European industry and jobs, AFP reports.
“Our factories are closing”, “the situation is serious”, warned the demonstrators gathered at the call of the IndustriALL trade union confederation. “It is time for Europe to wake up. European industry is going through a deep crisis”, warned Judith Kirton-Darling, the secretary general of this confederation, from the protest tribune, according to Agerpres.
“EU, wake up!”, “Save our steel!”, could also be read on some of the protesters’ banners, who denounced the “dumping” prices practiced by Chinese competitors.
Following the sanctions imposed on Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, the EU has lost its source of cheap Russian gas and European industry is suffering from energy costs that are much higher than those of its international competitors.
But, in the European Commission’s view, in order to save its industry, the EU must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
Meanwhile, the initiatives included in the European Green Deal have diminished the competitiveness of some European economic sectors, as a result of which some companies are increasingly threatening to relocate their production units outside the EU.
In addition to all this, the new US President Donald Trump is threatening the European Union with the imposition of customs duties, citing the EU’s trade surplus with the US.
Among the EU industrial sectors most affected by rising costs, the green transition or competition from third countries, especially China, are the chemicals, steel and automotive sectors.
Cutting red tape and energy costs are among the goals set out by the European Commission last Wednesday in its “Competitiveness Compass,” a plan to boost EU competitiveness that places companies at the heart of President Ursula von der Leyen’s five-year term, after she has placed more emphasis on protecting the environment in recent years, but warned that the latter objective remains a priority.
According to this plan, the European Commission will present a “clean industry pact” on February 26, which will be accompanied in the coming weeks by “sectoral action and emergency plans” for the automotive, steel and chemical sectors.
Brussels wants to “maintain Europe’s industrial base,” sources close to European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné, in charge of industrial strategy, assured.