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MedTech Europe signs the Joint Reaction Paper “For an Ambitious EU Industrial Strategy: Going Further”

Posted on 25.10.2017

MedTech Europe has joined 119 European industrial associations in reaction to the Communication of the European Commission on “Investing in a smart, innovative and sustainable Industry: A renewed EU Industrial Policy Strategy”.

At the beginning of his mandate, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker identified the reindustrialisation of Europe as one of his top priorities and confirmed the objective of increasing the share of industry in the European GDP to 20% by 2020. As we approach the preparation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework, it is vital for the European institutions to act and help the EU remain a competitive global industrial power playing in a fairer world market.

Therefore, in February 2017, an impressive number of European industrial sectors adopted for the first time a Joint Declaration in which they called on the European Commission to adopt a long-term Action Plan to tackle the challenges that the industrial sectors are facing.

We welcome the strong message of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in his annual State of the Union address last 13 September as he stated: “I want to make our industry stronger and more competitive” and “help our industries stay or become the world leader in innovation, digitisation and decarbonisation”.

The Communication on “Investing in a smart, innovative and sustainable Industry – A renewed EU Industrial Policy Strategy”, published by the European Commission on that same day, is a first important step – which we welcome – as it puts industry back to a high position on the political agenda and provides a comprehensive overview of current and upcoming Commission’s initiatives and measures related to industrial competitiveness.

In the aftermath of this Communication, the Signatories of this Joint Paper – representing a wide range of industrial sectors – have come together to analyse the document and react by identifying key objectives and/or missing measures that should be at the heart of any ambitious EU industrial strategy, taking the Communications as a starting point.

More than ever, we are ready to step up our cooperation with the European institutions to discuss and implement a long-term European industrial strategy that will help safeguard the world leadership of European manufacturers and jobs in Europe.