Supporting the competitiveness of European manufacturers

The chocolate, biscuits and confectionery industries are amongst Europe’s most dynamic and largest manufacturing and exporting sectors. They contribute strongly to local communities’ vitality and to the European economy. CAOBISCO members create jobs as well as a wide choice and variety of products for their consumers.     

The competitiveness of CAOBISCO industries needs to be supported to help the sector facing challenges driven notably by the global economic downturn or the rise in raw materials and energy prices through the following measures:

• An improved integration of legislation and a EU industrial policy to provide a flexible and business-friendly framework in which CAOBISCO members can operate, in particular SMEs.

• A sustainable access to adequate supplies of raw materials, that are safe, of high quality and competitively priced.

• A consistent EU trade policy stimulating growth through balanced free trade agreements with third countries and guaranteeing increased market access for high-added value products such as those manufactured by the CAOBISCO industries.

  The European Commission recently published a Communication entitled “The Industrial Renaissance” which consists of an ambitious work plan to achieve an industry contribution of 20% to the overall GDP in 2020. The Communication also analyses what currently hampers growth of industrial competitiveness and what the drivers are. It explains existing tools and policies that strengthen competitiveness and that should help the industry to develop their economies of scale.

  In this context, CAOBISCO organises on 12th June 2014, an internal workshop on the challenges and opportunities to competitiveness especially for Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Speakers will look at how to improve the competitiveness of CAOBISCO manufacturers from different angles. The objective of the workshop is a fact-finding exercise that should narrow down concrete policy objectives in order to improve the economic situation of manufacturers in Europe at European and national levels.