EURATEX, on behalf of its 160,000 textile and clothing companies, has followed President von der Leyen’s state of the union, presented today in the European Parliament. The Commission President has touched upon a vast range of topics and shown great ambition for a forward-looking Europe. The question remains how to ensure effective implementation of those plans; EURATEX calls for a strong public-private partnership to build a competitive and sustainable future.
EURATEX welcomes an ambitious Commission, in particular when it calls to strengthen the Internal Market, to invest in digitalisation, to ensure free but fair trade, to enhance our industrial strategy and build up resilience, to insist on the level playing field in relations with UK, China or the US.
Such ambitions will help to sustain a competitive European textiles and clothing industry, including 160,000 companies and offering 1,5 mln quality jobs. But the question remains how such intentions will be implemented effectively.
Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented: “In today’s health and economic crisis, we need a strong European Union, which supports our SMEs to survive, to innovate, to become more sustainable, to grow international. That requires effective measures implemented today, not tomorrow. We have put our ideas on the table, and look forward to discuss how to make them happen.”
EURATEX presented its “Recovery Strategy” in June; it includes both short term and long term measures, and concrete “flagship proposals” (e.g. building recycling hubs for waste textiles). Effective implementation will depend on a close dialogue between the EU, its member states and the private sector, and quick decision making.
