No growth and jobs without competitive industrial production

The Presidents of CECE and CEMA, Mr. Johann Sailer and Mr Gilles Dryancour, have presented to the EU Parliament a manifesto with a 10-point action plan for a strong industrial production in Europe. Doing this, the European construction equipment and agricultural machinery industries underline that they are committed to play an active role in reaching the target of the European Commission to raise the share of industry in Europe from 16% GDP to at least 20% by 2020. Both industries maintain important production facilities and R&D sites in Europe.

“We call on the EU to make industrial competitiveness the centre of EU policymaking, and this is our contribution”, stated Mr. Gilles Dryancour while handing over the manifesto to MEP Malcom Harbour at the CECE-CEMA summit held on October 16 in the European Parliament. He continued to say: “a strong and competitive industrial production in Europe is essential to drive Europe out of recession and keep our common economic area wealthy and economically successful”.  As global competition is fierce, both industries underline that the EU needs to set the right framework conditions for them to deliver growth, create jobs and compete at international level. According to them there are 10 major fields of action:

1. Introduce stronger competitiveness-proofing and fitness checks
2. Ensure more coherent EU policy-making
3. Ensure EU legislation boosts the industry’s ability to innovate to remain ahead of competitors
4. Seek greater international policy alignment to avoid technical barriers to trade
5. Reduce the administrative burden of complying with EU legislation
6. Complete the Internal Market
7. Ensure fair competition through better market surveillance
8. Invest massively in infrastructure
9. Deepen partnerships for a skilled workforce
10. Promote free access to foreign markets

Details on these points and on the industries’ positions are explained in the manifesto which is attached to this press release. It may also be downloaded from the associations’ websites.


The CECE-CEMA summit was attended by more than 300 participants; industry representatives, EU policy makers and partners of the industry. It was hosted by Ms Amalia Sartori, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Parliament’s important Industry Committee. 

Among the key notes speakers were also Mr Massimo Baldinato, member of the Cabinet of EU Commission’s Vice-President Antonio Tajani and on behalf of industry Mr Olof Persson, President and CEO of Volvo Group, and Mr Andreas Klauser, Chief Operating Officer EMEA of CNH Industrial, who outlined the perspectives of the sectors and its requests to politics.