The driving force behind the WFF European campaign is the German Steel and Metalworking Federation (WSM) and 13 trade associations. "Brussels must make companies competitive instead of stifling them. If they disappear or go under, prosperity will also go down the drain: Around 500,000 jobs are at risk in our medium-sized sectors alone," criticize the industry representatives. For many years, Brussels has thrown itself into sustainability issues without having a real industrial policy agenda. The EU Commission must now present an industrial policy strategy that will put Europe at the forefront of global competition.
Demand for greater competitiveness
The three campaign letters set the direction. "They stand for 'We. Shape. Progress'. But they can also stand for 'Competitiveness. Shapes. Progress.' or 'Growth. Forms. Progress'," says WSM Managing Director Christian Vietmeyer.
Turning the tide
If EU policy continues to be hostile to industry, companies will disappear. Transformation would then no longer be necessary, energy consumption would fall thanks to a lack of production. At the same time, prosperity would decline because value creation would migrate to other regions of the world. It is questionable whether these regions will care about human rights and climate protection in the same way that local companies already do. "The future EU Parliament has a perhaps historic opportunity to turn the tide. But it has to happen quickly," Vietmeyer emphasizes.
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