This week, Bertrand Cazes, Secretary General of Glass for Europe and, for this year, of Glass Alliance Europe, led a series of pivotal meetings to address the future of the EU glass industry.
On 19 June, the Executive Committee and General Assembly sessions of Glass Alliance Europe were dedicated to discussing key EU topics crucial for the industry’s future. These included decarbonisation, competitiveness, industrial policy, glass recycling, energy policy, and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). It was also the time to appoint Thomas Davreux, Managing Director of InDUfed, as the new President of the Alliance and Walter Da Riz, Director of Assovetro, as the new Vice-President.
The meetings provided an opportunity for enriching dialogue with European colleagues from other glass sectors on policy developments impacting the EU glass industry. They recalled the significance of a common approach across all sub-sectors in the current challenging environment for EU glass manufacturing.
On 20 June, all partners of Glass Alliance Europe gathered again for a constructive meeting with the European Commission convened by DG GROW, with the participation of DG ENV, the JRC and DG TAXUD. Glass for Europe representatives presented the economic state of the flat glass sector and proposed policy recommendations to support sustainable transformation and maintain the EU glass industry’s competitiveness.
With a new European Commission mandate on the horizon, the EU glass sector anticipates fresh policy initiatives and momentum. Glass for Europe remains convinced that through continuous dialogues, the industry can achieve enhanced sustainability and global competitiveness.