Message from the President
Dear EUEW members and partners,
Hope this finds you and your families well, safe and protected. It’s been six months since the first lockdowns started across Europe hugely impacting the ways of our lives and businesses. Over this course of time, we have learned some valuable lessons about partnerships, leadership, collaboration and motivation. EUEW leaders, member organizations and peer groups have worked closely together to gauge the true impact on our industry. We have spent a great deal of efforts also to voice our concerns at the European Commission level to help shape policies and short/mid-term responses to COVID-19.
Industries around the world are seeing the fastest and sharpest declines on record, and expecting a long road to recovery. Industrial and building material manufacturing is expected to return to some normality only in Q3-2021, and the global supply chains remain fragile (Source: Oxford Economics). We are facing one of the toughest challenges of our times as business leaders. As a European federation, our role and goal is to ensure that we demonstrate our values that are centered on ensuring continuous development and professionalism through open dialogue, permanent support and integrity.
As an ambassador, I urge all member associations to step forward and share data and market intelligence, best practices, know-how, and national agenda that can impact global decisions for the better good of our industries and eco-system. Connect your Communications & Intelligence Officers to the EUEW team so we can improve our communication, membership offer and exchange of intelligence.
We kicked-off our first in a series of Monthly Advocacy Workshop Calls – on the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) issue – on 5 August 2020. With the support of our EU Policy Specialist, Mr Bernd Gruner, EUEW was able to formally submit a position paper to the European Commission. We commit to keeping you posted on the outcomes and next steps. But I also urge the Board members to attend our monthly calls. Until we have the opportunity to meet in person, we must seize every opportunity to talk to each other, and support each other in these desperate moments of economic slowdown.
We, at the EUEW, remain at your disposal for any further support, guidance or collaboration initiative. Wishing you a peaceful and safe summer break with your families, and looking forward to welcoming you at our next calls.
Sincerely yours,
Alexander Dewulf President, EUEW