Glass for Europe reacts to Mario Draghi’s report on European competitiveness

The recent publication of Mario Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness highlights key issues and recommendations for European industry. The EU faces competitiveness issues and slow growth compared to China and the United States, resulting in a damaging economic situation. Urgent actions and investments are needed for the EU to reach its objectives.

A key issue highlighted for our sector is the persistent high energy costs within the European Union. This impacts all energy-intensive industries vital to the EU’s strategic interests, including the flat glass sector. While our sector contributes to Europe’s climatic and strategic objectives, manufacturers are directly affected by these pressures, making it urgent to find sustainable solutions. As outlined by Draghi’s analysis, decarbonisation must not lead to de-industrialisation; this would compromise both EU environmental objectives and economic growth.

Glass for Europe welcomes this landmark report as a crucial step in facilitating discussions on industrial issues with EU authorities. Despite the difficult economic situation, the EU flat glass sector is committed to decarbonising and providing the high-performance glass products needed to meet the EU’s ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Sectors such as construction, automotive, and appliances depend on innovative European flat glass products to achieve decarbonisation. Support is therefore essential to ensure that our industry can continue to decarbonise, contribute to Europe’s environmental objectives, and overcome high energy costs while remaining competitive.

Check out the reaction of Davide Cappellino, president for Architectural Glass at AGC Glass Europe and chairman of the Board of Directors of Glass for Europe: