2024 EUROPEAN CERAMIC DAYS: A CLEAN INDUSTRIAL DEAL “TRANSITION DIALOGUE ON HETEROGENEOUS ENERGY INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES” IS NECESSARY TO RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN THE COMPETITIVENESS OF EUROPEAN CERAMICS
Brussels, Belgium – The European ceramic industry gathered for the 2024 European Ceramic Days (ECD) from 2 to 4 December 2024. This year marked a special milestone as the 30th European Parliament Ceramics Forum (EPCF) brought together policymakers and industry leaders to address some of the most pressing issues facing the ceramic sector and Europe as a whole.
The EPCF plenary hosted on 3 December by EPCF Chair MEP Elisabetta Gualmini featured members of the European Parliament, EU and member states’ officials as well industry executives from a wide range of value chains. The discussions focussed on critical topics such as the Clean Industrial Deal, EU trade, global competitiveness, and the future of affordable and sustainable housing.
In a rapidly evolving global trade environment shaped by the dynamics between the US, China, and the EU, the first EPCF panel explored how the EU’s trade policies can strengthen European manufacturing. Participants discussed strategies to maintain and grow the EU’s competitive edge through traditional trade instruments and innovative approaches adapted to new economic and regulatory challenges.
The housing crisis continues to affect millions across Europe. In response, the EU has announced its first-ever European Affordable Housing Plan. The second EPCF panel delved into how the EU plans to address this crisis by fostering affordable and sustainable housing. Speakers evaluated both financial and regulatory tools and proposed solutions to ensure better living conditions for Europeans while driving sustainability in construction.
European ceramics will be essential, not only to maintain the EU’s autonomy in its efforts to decarbonise the building stock and tackle the housing crisis, but also as enabling technologies for numerous strategic sectors. Despite its efforts to decarbonise its processes, “the ceramic industry’s competitiveness is heavily undermined by high energy prices and rising carbon costs without having access to decarbonised energy sources and grids within the time framework imposed by EU regulations such as the EU ETS” stated Alain Delcourt, Cerame-Unie’s President.
Against the background of the Letta and Draghi report, the Commission’s political guidelines and the Budapest declaration of 8 November on the New European Competitiveness Deal, the European ceramic industry calls for a Clean Industrial Deal “transition dialogue on heterogeneous energy intensive industries”. Such dedicated dialogue is needed to provide tailor-made support for EU ceramics, a very heterogenous energy-intensive sector mainly composed of small & medium sized as well as multi-site companies often located in remote areas, but also structured in strong ceramic clusters in countries such as Italy and Spain.
Incoming Cerame-Unie President Heimo Scheuch concluded by stressing that “implementing an effective and comprehensive Clean Industrial Deal which leaves no sector aside should be the main task of the new European Commission”.
