The European Container Glass Federation (FEVE), joined industry leaders in Antwerp for the European Industry Summit, as the Antwerp Declaration Community calls on EU leaders to adopt a package of Emergency Industrial Policy Measures. Michel Giannuzzi, President of FEVE, Carlo Pirrone and Vanessa Chesnot were representing the Federation on site and contributing to the discussions.
At a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty and intense global competition, the message from the industry is clear: there can be no resilient, safe or competitive Europe without a strong European industrial base.
Glass is a strategic enabling material at the heart of Europe’s green and industrial transitions. The container glass industry plays a vital role in supporting key European value chains and providing healthy, reusable and infinitely recyclable packaging solutions that underpin Europe’s global brand strength.
Yet the sector is facing severe structural pressure. Persistently high energy and carbon costs, combined with an increasingly challenging global trading environment, are weakening investment conditions across Europe. Production has declined in recent years, and plant and furnace closures are resulting in permanent losses of industrial capacity, strategic skills and high-quality jobs.
The Antwerp Call to Action urges Europe’s leaders to respond with urgency and ambition, with a focus on bringing energy and carbon costs down, supporting fair global trade and improving access to finance, and strengthening demand for products made in Europe.
Discover FEVE’s call for urgent industrial action here.
FEVE’s press statement is available here.