Leveraging industrial transformation power: Speira signs Antwerp declaration to complement EC’s Green Deal

The CEO of leading European aluminium roller and recycler Speira signed the Antwerp declaration for a European industrial deal on February 22, 2024.

Einar Glomnes, the CEO of Speira, said, “The factor for us to join the Antwerp Declaration is that it combines and supports the Green Deal and our business. We are part of the solution and are committed to building a circular world that works. As an industrial front-runner shaping and driving the transformation towards decarbonisation and circularity, we are eager to work closely with EU and national legislators to build European framework conditions that increase global competitiveness for European industries. We believe in the power approaching and thinking commodity, energy, climate, and industrial policy in an integrated way.”

On February 20, 2024, about 70 European companies and organisations, predominantly from the energy-intensive industries, expressed their full support for a European Industrial Deal to complement the Green Deal and keep high-quality jobs for European workers.

Alexander De Croo, the Prime Minister of Belgium, who was also the host of this Antwerp industry summit, clearly stated, “We need our industry for their innovation capacity. To come up with tomorrow’s climate solutions. That is why Europe should not only be a continent of industrial innovation but should remain a continent of industrial production.”

The Antwerp Declaration calls to EU member state governments, the next European Commission and Parliament to put the industrial agenda at the core of the new European Strategic Agenda for 2024 to 2029. This means a comprehensive action plan to elevate competitiveness as a strategic priority and create the conditions for a stronger business case in Europe. The action plan needs to include measures to eliminate regulatory incoherence, conflicting objectives, unnecessary complexity in legislation and over-reporting.

In ten claims, the declaration focuses on public funding, competitive costs of energy, infrastructure, raw materials security, boosting demand for net zero, low carbon and circular products, improvement of the single market, and a more entrepreneurial spirit of law-making. These claims will be ensured by installing a first Vice-President responsible for delivering the European industrial deal in the next European Commission.