AMAG Austria Metall AG has joined over 1,000 energy-intensive companies in signing the Antwerp Declaration, a powerful call for a European Industrial Deal. This collective initiative seeks to balance the urgent need for climate transition with safeguarding Europe’s industrial competitiveness. By adding its voice to this movement, AMAG underscores the critical importance of ensuring that the path to a greener future also secures the economic viability of the basic materials sector across the continent.

Helmut Kaufmann, CEO of AMAG, said, “Signing the Antwerp Declaration is an important signal from AMAG and the entire energy-intensive industrial sector in Europe. We face enormous challenges on the path to climate neutrality, and it is essential that we, as an industry, receive the support we need to modernise our sites and make them sustainable. Modern infrastructure and access to carbon-free energy at competitive prices are essential if we are to achieve our objectives.”

The declaration outlines ten key actions aimed at fostering a greener economy. These include eliminating regulatory inconsistencies, simplifying cross-border documentation, and introducing new legislative incentives for clean technologies. It advocates for a streamlined state aid framework to facilitate the transition to sustainable practices. Additionally, the declaration emphasises Europe's need to establish itself as a competitive global energy supplier and secure raw material supplies. An urgent call is made for a European strategy to expand infrastructure in energy, digitalisation, recycling, and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS). Moreover, the declaration proposes the appointment of a dedicated Vice President of the European Commission to lead the implementation of the European Industrial Deal by 2029.

AMAG Austria Metall AG is a leading Austrian premium supplier of high-quality aluminium cast and flat rolled products for highly varied industries such as the aircraft, automotive, sports equipment, lighting, mechanical engineering, construction and packaging industries.

“There’s no doubt that we must take measures to combat climate change. Yet, sustainable industrial policy can only be sustainable if industry survives. That’s why meeting the demands of the Antwerp Declaration will be decisive for the successful management of the transformation to a carbon-neutral industry. What applies to Europe should also be well implemented in Austria, without the country going alone or exceeding what is necessary. A half-baked Renewable Gas Act (Erneuerbare-Gase-Gesetz – EGG) and the lack of an Electricity Price Equalisation Act (Stromkostenausgleichsgesetz –SAG) are further impacting the competitive position of the Austrian industry, even compared to the rest of Europe,” said CEO Helmut Kaufmann.